Blues turnaround licks pdf

A7 is a secondary dominant, the dominant of d minor. Turnarounds sound really great when used with a blues shuffletype rhythm, but can sound equally as good in other styles of blues playing. Turnaround chord sequence, and a turnaround lick in blues guitar lesson 9. A wellexecuted turnaround really makes you sound like you know what youre doing. This turnaround begins at bar 11 and continues through bar 12the last two bars of a 12bar blues. Turnaround lick in d is a free video lesson by brad laird where youll learn how to play a fun and useful mandolin lick in the key of d. Starting on beat two of this licks opening bar which, of course, is measure 11 in the 12bar cycle, this chromatic descent drops you from the 7 to the 5 d to b, here in the key of e, leading you straight to the v chord b7. Adding intros, turnarounds, and endings to the 12bar blues.

An essential part of the repertoire of every blues guitarist is a collection of turnaround licks. However, depending on how the turnaround is played it may sound great at the beginning as an intro or even at the end of the song. This is because the turnaround in bars 11 and 12 takes us back turns around to. There are plenty of instances where turnarounds have been used to. Playing the right things at the right time, especially in the turnaround, can take your blues playing from hacky to authentic in no time. King or albert collins really dont play much rhythm guitar at all, but have a large band and just sing and play some lead guitar licks.

Blues turnarounds for guitar fundamental changes music. The job of the turnaround in a blues is usually to get from chord i to chord v. Turnarounds are an important thing to be aware of usually songs will use the same turnaround all the way through or most of the way through but often when jamming a blues you have to keep your ears open and listen to. This lick outlines a i vi ii v turnaround in the key of bb and uses scale tones, as well as chromatic passing notes, to create a fun to play and interesting sounding phrase that you can quickly get under your fingers with a bebop flavor to it, this lick is inspired by players such as charlie christian, joe pass, johnny smith and other bebop influenced jazz musicians. Jan 04, 2017 a turnaround is usually the last 2 bars of a 12 bar blues, although it can also be the last 4 bars, so the terminology can be a little loose, but you know it when you hear it. The most popular definition is the blues turnaround used in twelve bar and similar blues songs, cfg7c. Here the first bar is a standard i7 vi7 progression, the i is a dominant 7th chord because the tune is a c blues. Resolving to the root a of the i chord allows us the opportunity to follow with a lick that can chart an entirely new course, which is exactly what we see. This hourglass shape fits neatly inside the pentatonic box so its a quick way to start to mixing it with your favorite pentatonic blues licks. In this video i will go over some basic material to use on a turnaround.

In bluegrass, turnarounds are most often used as minisolos or instrumental fills between the verses of songs. Blues turnaround in e the classic turnaround blues. A turnaround is the group of chords that take you back to the beginning of the form. And it should, this lick is very similar to one heard in stevies tune, pride and joy. In this issue, youll be given a series of turnaround. Each free guitar riff lesson has guitar tabs to show you exactly what strings to play. If we would play over a minor bluesprogression with for instance the chords am7, dm7 and em7 we cant use the major pentatonic scale. Turnaround blues guitar licks blues guitar lessons.

Blues turnarounds are an extremely important part of the blues form. When soloing over the last 12 bars of a 12 bar blues you can just play minor pentatonic licks however playing a turnaround lick will help to outline. I recommend playing any blues backing track and giving these turnarounds a bash, or going out to a local jam night and seeing what happens. Think of how your favorite blues tune starts youll most likely think of a characteristic lick or riff that leads into the chorus.

Leigh fuge of mgr music digs into 10 interesting and helpful lead blues guitar licks, ideal for beginners or novice blues guitar players looking for an injection of practice ideas. This turnaround gets its roots from the classic turnaround but has a little more flash and smacks of srv. A turnaround could also be used as an intro for a blues song and with a slight modification also as an ending. I7 i7 i7 i7 iv7 iv7 i7 i7 v7 iv7 i7 v7 so what does this mean. This chord progression has been used in countless songs both in blues, jazz and pop music. Blues turnarounds, by pete farrugia ba hons, dip mus. Go to the 5 th degree of the scale or the v chord almost all the licks that happen in the blues turnaround section move to the v chord or the 5 th degree. You can of course decide beforehand with your bandmates, but often youll just use your ears. In blues the turnaround happens in the last two bars of a 12 bar format.

You will need a c harmonica and we will be playing in 2nd position in the key of g. Blues turnaround licks are played at the end of a 12 bar blues progression as it turns around back to the start of the next 12 bars. Its not a particularly long track, as the turnaround portion doesnt lend itself well to extension. Despite being incredibly simple in theory it is actually harmonically quite complex allowing the musician to create an endless amount of variations in melody over the top of it. Then pull up a blues song in e and get ready to fit it into the turnaround. Sizzling turnaround licks by jason kokoszka blues musicians, regardless of experience, are always looking for new ways to keep this timehonored form fresh and interesting. The vast majority of contemporary blues music is based on what. A blues turnaround lick is a lick that is custom made to fit over the chords in the last two measures of the standard 12bar blues progression. Turnarounds are an important part of playing blues songs. The turnaround is at the end of the blues chorus and takes us to the v7 chord to start the form again. In music, the vivi turnaround, or blues turnaround is one of several patterns traditionally found in the twelvebar blues, and commonly found in rock and roll. Although the 12bar blues progression has a signature blues sound, if you plan to play blues, rock, or jazz guitar on a regular basis, youll want to learn how to accessorize the 12bar blues. I always beg, borrow, steal and create my own nice sweet sounding turnarounds to add that extra magic when im playing a blues song.

We call this the turnaround because it literally turns around the progression and sets up a return to the top of the form. The jazz turnaround or i vi7 ii v is a very common and useful progression to learn after you have checked out some basic ii v i lines. I love this one as it is riffbased as opposed to chordal. Apr 02, 2019 i teach music theory, blues, rock, funk, country, scales, chords, triads. Being aware of this crucial part of any blues song or solo will definitely give your soloing an extra something. I would make it a point to learn as many turnarounds as you can and try moving them to different keys. I wanted to share some very cool and extremely useful blues turnarounds with you that i use quite a bit. Before you we learn how to play a basic blues turnaround we must understand the 12 bar blues format. I teach music theory, blues, rock, funk, country, scales, chords, triads. There are also songs based on 8bar, 16bar and 24bar patterns. Lastly we have the backing track for this section of the 12bar blues. One way to breathe life into your blues is to learn hot, new turnaround licks.

The musical idea of the turnaround are chords or notes that lead back into the main section of the music. Sometimes the best turnaround is no turnaround at all. Starting on beat two of this lick s opening bar which, of course, is measure 11 in the 12bar cycle, this chromatic descent drops you from the 7 to the 5 d to b, here in the key of e, leading you straight to the v chord b7. I love heady, highconcept guitar lessons, but this isnt one of them. Photo by steve garry a good blues turnaround is the icing on the cake of every blues progression. Mark watkins received his degrees from brigham young university and indiana university and has studied with eugene rousseau, daniel deffayet, ray smith, and yushi ishiwata and jazz with david baker. In the language of the blues, the term turnaround refers to a musical figure played over the i and v chords in the last two bars, setting up the form to repeat. Learn to play blues guitar by practicing the greatest free blues guitar riffs of all time. Im assuming a little bit of basic knowledge and ability on the guitar. Essentially, these licks are made to play over the 1 chord and the 5 chord. The turnaround is the bit at the end of a 12bar blues progression when everything seems to be reaching a musical conclusion, only to launch back in again from the beginning. The common common chord progression is simply known as a 12 bar blues, which looks like this. Blues turnaround in e the classic turnaround blues guitar. Apr 14, 2020 the most common type of blues turnaround riff is one that employs the simple descending line in figure 1.

Focus on getting to these notes in time, right where the belong in the progression, to become a real blues player. In a 12bar blues form, the turnaround is the last four measures. You may recognise the sound of a turnaround from the start or end of your favourite blues tracks. May 12, 2011 this turnaround begins at bar 11 and continues through bar 12the last two bars of a 12bar blues. Blues turnarounds for guitar fundamental changes music book. Well stick to the 12bar forms here because these are the ones you will most often hear played by blues musicians and our primary focus here is the blues turnaround.

Drill them into your muscle memory until you can do it in your sleep as you can see, ive been playing the blues in my sleep quite a bit lately. Blues turnaround stevie ray vaughan style blues guitar. In this video i show you 4 simple blues turnaround patterns that you can easily add into your blues guitar rhythm playing. If you dont have this record, i cannot recommend it enough. In this lick, there are two concepts that you can take out and explore further in the practice room. Intros, turnarounds, and endings learn to play the ukulele. For example you may play one in the last couple of bars of a 12bar blues progression.

Jazz chords, scales and arpeggios and then demonstrate how to solo over the form with this. The next example comes from a joe henderson blues tune called isotope. This turnaround is a rendition of what is likely to be the most used turnaround of all time. A turnaround is usually the last 2 bars of a 12 bar blues, although it can also. Play the 12 bar blues sequence a couple of times and incorporate a different blues turnaround at the end of each section.

This one is an example of a turnaround that is 4 bars long starting on the b7 chord in bar 9 of a 12 bar blues. Here i will start with a few chord sequences that can be the basis for many turnaround licks. The blues turnaround happens in the last bar of the 12 bar blues form. This month, we will take a look at three turnarounds and how you can use these on your next gig. Many classic blues turnarounds are built on a simple phrase that descends chromatically i. Play the blues turnarounds regularly so they will be stored in your. Mark watkins received his degrees from brigham young university and indiana university and has studied with eugene rousseau, daniel deffayet, ray.

After establishing the i7 chord with an eighthnote chank, we play a series of intervals that end in an e octave. Typically, a turnaround is a 2 bar phrase that sits over the 11th and 12th bars of your usual 12 bar blues and acts to turn around the phrase back to the first chord. One of the simplest ways to dress this up is to play the root note of the chord on a treble string while playing the turnaround figure in the bass. The most common type of blues turnaround riff is one that employs the simple descending line in figure 1. Many players have a cache of memorized turnaround licks in their head, since the moment is so short you need to think quickly to play it. The more turnaround ideas you have to work from the better youll sound when it comes to your turn at the weekly blues. Its one of the things that makes the blues sound so cool. When soloing over the last 12 bars of a 12 bar blues you can just play minor pentatonic licks however playing a turnaround lick will help to outline the chord changes allowing others to hear where you are in the tune. In blues music, the turnaround is a familiar companion. The turnaround occurs in the last two measures of a 12 bar progression and is often a critical element of the progression, so a solid understanding of the 12 bar format is needed.

Intros, turnarounds, and endings are common enhancements to the 12bar blues that are used to steer the song toward repeats or resolutions. Tbone walker showcased similar hot licks in his description blues and alimony blues. Well, its the last two bars in a verse of twelvebar blues. This makes a lot of sense since that is the chord there, but the frequency in which players play or clearly outline the 5 is much higher than any other section of the blues form. Finally in e, not really a turnaround, but a nice finish to a song i. The art of the blues guitar turnaround part one fundamental. This leads into the bridge middle section of the song which begins in the key of d minor. Steve shows us some common turnarounds incorporating chromatic 3rd intervals to lead smoothly and convincingly into the v7 chord. Once you understand how turnarounds are designed, you can easily make up your own. Well take a closer look a this later, first we need to understand the turnaround itself. Were in the key of a, playing in shuffleapproved 128 time. To learn more about blues turnarounds, guitarists should check out the blues lessons turnarounds, theory of 6ths, soloing with 3rds and 6ths and riffbased blues with 9chord turnarounds, taught by dennis mccumber, david boye and scott a. Turnarounds are an important thing to be aware of usually songs will use the same turnaround all the way through or most of the way through but often when jamming a blues you have to keep your ears open and listen to what is being played and join in.

So do i have to play a turnaround in every chorus of every blues song. We can combine turnarounds with blues licks and the key is to end on the v7 chord. Also learn how to easily adjust this pattern to play over a complete 12 bar blues. Being aware of this crucial part of any blues song or. Nov 04, 2017 the turnaround is the bit at the end of a 12bar blues progression when everything seems to be reaching a musical conclusion, only to launch back in again from the beginning. The job of the turnaround in a blues is usually to get from. My website lessons come with soundslice, which makes it incredibly easy to learn. Blues turnarounds exceptions blues is not limited to 12bar patterns. How to play turnaround blues licks with pictures wikihow. May 02, 2011 a good blues turnaround is the icing on the cake of every blues progression.

It can be heard by countless guitarists and there are probably as many different versions of this turnaround as there are guitarists. Playing and improvising acoustic blues doug young acoustic blues workshop notes q 96 our goal is to be able to play a simple, but effective solo blues guitar piece, hopefully with some improvisation. Jun 14, 2017 blues turnaround licks are played at the end of a 12 bar blues progression as it turns around back to the start of the next 12 bars. This simple 5 note pattern derived from the mixolydian mode is a great way to get started using the scale quickly. The job of the turnaround in a blues is usually to get. The second bar steps out a little more, but all four chords are related to the notes of a c diminished 7 chord. A few lessons ago, we talked about how to make your licks fit with the chord youre playing over. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Most turnarounds can also be used as intros or endings.