Oct 16 2008
Guitar chords: voicings and inversions
Since there are only 12 notes on a musical scale and a 22 fret guitar has 132 possible notes, there are ends up being several places that you can play the same note on a guitar fretboard. If you played every note starting from a C until you got to another C, you will have just played an octave. A guitar has four octaves (unless you’re counting natural and false harmonics, feedback, sliding, ect..).
Parallel to the individual notes, there are also several places you can play the same chord of the same type. The difference between these notes and chords is their pitch. An open E note played on the sixth string will have a lower pitch than an E played on the seventh fret of the fifth string.
A note with a higher or lower pitch is just that. Unless you are adding a bend of vibrato, the only difference that can be heard between two notes in different octaves is pitch. A chord, however, played in different octave will have a completely different dynamic and level of ‘blendability’ towards the music. Where an acoustic, country type of song would use an A major in its’ common form employing an open A note on the fifth string, a rock song with electric guitars might use the A major barre chord.
These alternates are called voicings and inversions.
Below is an example of just a few of the voicings of an A major chord. The first is the conventional A major you have likely seen, the second is a barre chord, the next is a higher pitched one that might be used like a ska chord .
E--0--|--5--|--9---|
B--2--|--5--|--10--|
G--2--|--6--|--9---|
D--2--|--7--|--7---|
A--0--|--7--|------|
E--x--|--5--|------|
All of these chords are made up of the same notes in the same order. They are just played in different spots on the fretboard. Each has its’ own unique sound and feel. For more voicings and inversions on different chords and chord types, consult a your favorite chord dictionary or check out the links below.
ChordBook - a great easy to use, complete and compact online chord dictionary.
Feel free to post any questions, corrections or recommend your favorite guitar chord reference… 
