Turnarounds, Intros and Endings

A blues needs a way in, a way around and a way out. This chapter covers all three: how to start a blues with an intro, how to loop the 12-bar with a turnaround, and how to finish it with an ending that sounds like the record is really over.

You'll begin with the classic blues turnaround in A, a high note that stays put while a line underneath walks down by half steps into E7, then play it an octave lower on the open strings. Next come three intros that land on the V chord so the first bar feels like an arrival, and the half-step slide endings every blues band uses, from Bb7 to A7 and from Bb9 to A9. The last lesson adds more turnarounds from beginner to advanced: a rising line, shuffle chord stabs and a triplet version with an F7 approach.

Every blues turnaround guitar tab exercise plays in your browser with a click, so you can lock the triplet feel in before you take it to a jam.