Electric Guitar - Classic Turnarounds
With
Scott McKeonScott McKeon shows you alternate ways to play the 12-bar turnaround, including the Jimmy Reed and Lightning Hopkins approaches, to keep your Texas blues fresh.
What's in the course
34 lessons (1h 29m) · 2 free
01. Traditional Soloing with Call and Response
2:24
02. Solo Example 1 - BB King
0:52
03. Leaving Space
3:17
04. Solo Example 2 - Stevie Ray Vaughan (Rhythmic Chords)
0:54
05. Soloing Using Your Fingers
1:47
06. Solo Example 3 - Albert Collins
0:55
07. Combining Techniques
1:06
08. Solo Example 4 - Putting It All Together
0:56
Lesson transcript
Exploring Turnarounds in Blues
Another cool way of playing the turnaround is to play this, which is like an old blues thing that you hear a lot.
Influences
People like:
- Eric Clapton
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Buddy Guy
The Technique
You're basically sliding up to the sort of B position for the V chord, and then back down to the A position. It's just a good alternate way to get through that turnaround.
Recap of Techniques
So far, we've got like three ways you could play it:
- The Jimmy Reed way with the open A.
- The Lightning Hopkins way, which is in the style of his playing.
- The lead guitar way, which is more melodic.
It's really handy having those slightly different ways of playing the same thing because you can use that to build or just make it feel good as you're going through the song.
Mixing It Up
You can kind of mix that up as well; it doesn't have to be the same every time. You can:
- Add more to it
- Take away from it a bit
- Even go like [insert your variation here]
Finding Your Own Variation
You can kind of have fun with these things and find your own sort of variation.
Additional Techniques
Another thing I just realized I did, which again, I got from Steve Vaughan, was holding the pick with my middle finger free to pluck.
Practical Application
- It's kind of like a country thing.
- You can use that technique however you want.
Sometimes, it's nice to have a note pop out even while playing the riff. You can either play that with a pick, or you can play [insert alternative technique], and that's really cool for that.
34 lessons
1h 29m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Scott McKeon has given a lifetime of dedication to his craft as a guitarist. Initially inspired by his dad's love of blues, soul and rock music, he took up the guitar at the age of four and has developed a reputation as one of the UK's most in-demand guitarists, both in the studio and performing live.
In 2014, Scott got a call to play in Sir Tom Jones' band, alongside Robbie McIntosh and Pink Floyd drummer Gary Wallis. The blues, rock 'n' roll and gospel-orientated set allows Scott to call on his early influences and travel the globe. Performances so far have included five European tours, three tours of the US and South America, and tours of Australia and the Far East, as well as TV appearances including Later... with Jools Holland and TFI Friday, and playing New Orleans Jazz Festival in 2019.
Scott's third album, 'New Morning', is an earthy, raw, guitar-led record showcasing his range and ability as a guitarist. The album was recorded live in the studio at RAK in London, capturing the energy and spontaneity of the sessions. It was produced by Paul Stacey (Black Crowes/Oasis), and features Jeremy Stacey (Sheryl Crow/Tal Wilkenfeld) on drums, Rocco Palladino (Tom Misch/D'Angelo) on bass, and Gavin Conder (Rufus Black/The Kondoors) as vocalist on several tracks.
Scott also has a signature fuzz pedal and signature pickups, modelled on his '62 Strat.
In his course, Scott shares the tone, phrasing and feel behind authentic Texas blues guitar, showing you how to dig into the style and make every note sing.
