Music is everywhere. It may not fit into your definition of music, but just stop for a minute and listen to the sounds around you. I can hear birds chirping, wind blowing, a 4-wheeler running, and my neighbors parrot squawking. Music is in the air!

This has to be how the inventors of guitar effects got its inspiration. The many different sounds that are all around us can be made by effects pedals.

In this article, I will explain the differences in the sounds for each type of effects. Boosters are used to increase the guitar signal before it reaches the amplifier. Some musicians use these for a clean or non-distorted volume increase. Others use boosters to drive their amps to produce some distortion of the sound.

Compressors cause the sound to swell. They soften the start of a note and amplify the end of a note. Overdrive pedals cause a boost in the sound which can lead to distortion or a fuzzy sound. Distortion pedals do what they say. They distort the sound that is coming out of you instrument to sound like what some call a "dirty" sound. Heavy metal music uses a lot of distortion. Fuzz effects were the first guitar effects built in the 1960's. This effect makes your sound fuzzy.

Phasing split's a guitar signal and shifts it out of the phase of frequency. Phasing makes a swooshing type sound. Flanging is similar to phasing but flanging is heavier. Flangers do not space notches evenly like phasers do. Flanging sounds kind of psychedelic.

Chorus effects sounds like a group of singers or string orchestras playing together. Vibrato effects is a sound that is vibrating. Singers do this with their voices and guitarists can do this by wiggling a finger against their guitar strings.

Tremolo effects rapidly changes a signal from ON to OFF. It has been described as a "shuddering" type sound. Reverb sounds like echoes in large space and then slowly are absorbed by the walls around. Wah-Wah makes a "wah" sound. Also described as a person making the sounds of vowels.

Can you hear these sounds all around you? Guitar Effects has been inspired by the sounds around us and has changed the sound of music and this music has affected the world in many ways.

How has Guitar Effects affected the world of music? Jimi Hendrix had a short career, but his career was full of guitar effects. Think of some of his most played songs; Purple Haze, All along the Watchtower, Hey Joe, the list goes on and on. Think of his music without guitar effects. Of course, it would still be great, but the effects and the way he used them gave him that sound that we love still today. There are countless famous musicians that use guitar effects, think of your favorites without those effects.

Listen to the Sound! The best best way to get the sound that you want is to try out as many pedals as you can and explore their sound. In the early days of Rock and Roll, there may not have been effects pedals, but effects were used and actually got started from guitarists just cranking up those little amps until sounds were distorted. They made their own distortion pedal. It's your turn, try many different sounds, something that fits your style, and just go with it! Don't be afraid to try new things and think outside of the box!!