Turnarounds

Lesson: Exploring Turnarounds

In this lesson, we're going to be looking at turnarounds, all kinds of different ways of playing around with that turnaround, which are kind of the last two bars of the 12-bar blues.

Basic Harmony

Let's break it down in terms of the basic harmony:

• It's kind of this sound that represents the basic harmony.
• Maybe the flat six or maybe the bass line goes the other way.

For example:

• G7, C, C# diminished, 1 over 5 to 5.

These are the kinds of harmonies we'll explore, focusing on different stylistic approaches. It's a pretty authentic way of playing it, slightly reminiscent of Otis Spann's style.

Simple Turnaround Variations

You could do a very simple turnaround like:

• Eb7 to D7 (flat 6 to 7 to 5).

Robert Johnson Influence

There's a nice little variation on that ending, inspired by Robert Johnson, where he goes up to the third at the end.

You might want to play around with the rhythm on it as well. Again, sliding off that major seventh to the dominant seventh (flattened seventh) is a very James Booker thing to do, very New Orleans.

Key Limitations

Keep in mind that this technique might not be applicable in every key due to the way the keys are laid out:

• G is fine, slide from F# to F.
• C doesn't work as well because you can't slide from B to Bb, you might run out of fingers to finish the line.

This holds true for other notes and chords around the cycle of fifths until you get to B, where you can start sliding off that major seventh to the flattened seventh (E, A, D back to G).

Additional Ideas for Endings

I've delved into these ideas already. You could just go for something like:

• That little interval going to the major six instead of the sharp five.

Blues Scale Approach

You could also explore a more blues scale approach. This might include a free blues scale line, something along those lines:

• Something like that, which could be a little more Otis Spann-like but maybe with a more pentatonic sound, like those trills.

Muddy Waters Influence

Another idea you could adopt might be inspired by Muddy Waters guitar lines. For example:

• Building something around the blues scale, you could replicate something like: "one and again..."

This approach can add a bit more tension.

Rolling Harmony

You could also change the harmony and create a rolling kind of turnaround:

• Here, I'm playing what would be Eb7 to D but over D in the bass.

Dr. John Style

Consider utilizing a Dr. John-style turnaround. For context: 5, 4, here we go, etc.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few ideas for turnarounds. Experiment, explore, and do your own thing with it! Look into different harmonies, perhaps similar to what I discussed when I was looking at basses. There's a lot that builds on the same harmony leading to the five.

So, have fun with it and keep creating!