Blues Turnarounds

This crucial part of a blues chord progression is designed to take you back to the start. Find out how…

Turnarounds are often used in the last two bars of a 12-bar sequence. Their purpose is, as the name describes, to turn the chord progression around and provide a musical signpost back to the start. The main melody of a blues often concludes at the start of the 11th bar, so the turnaround has to develop the main tune and give a sense of movement to restart the progression. It’s also a great place to squeeze in a nice guitar lick before the singer comes back in, so make sure to take a moment to step into the spotlight!