NUGGETS: NAME THAT TUNE
Nuggets:
8 Acoustic
Blues
Turnarounds
By Dave Rubin
12
-bar blues are a musical and
metaphorical journey with a
beginning, middle, and end.
But while comparing them
to an odyssey might be a literary conceit,
they do offer a literal chance to start over,
following a turnaround, in measures 11 and
12, when it is desired to continue to another
verse. Through what has evolved musically as
a brilliant, versatile arrangement of I, IV and V
chord changes, with substitutions when chosen,
the pattern moves from the I to resolution on
the V, the chord which theoretically produces
anticipation and forward motion back to the I.
To quote Steely Dan: “You go back, Jack, do it
again.”
Classic turnaround patterns add a hip stamp
of authenticity for blues guitarists and rock
guitarists playing the blues. By knowing the
following eight examples, you will be able
navigate the crucial last two measures of a 12bar blues with knowing swagger. Note that all
are based on slow acoustic blues at 60-72 BPM
14
GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
DIGITAL EDITION
in the standard Delta blues keys of E, A, and
G, but could be adapted to faster tempos, and
for the electric guitar, naturally. Fingerstyle or
hybrid picking is recommended, and in some
examples, a necessity.
In 2003, I had the pleasure of co-authoring
a book for the Hal Leonard Corporation,
comprised of turnarounds with blues guitarist
extraordinaire, Rusty Zinn. The book contains
72 patterns. ■
Along with teaching private
lessons in NYC, Dave Rubin
has written over 100 blues,
classic rock, jazz, and
country guitar books for the
Hal Leonard Corporation. His
latest is Inside Rock Guitar:
Four Decades of the Greatest
Electric Rock Guitarists.
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