Blues turnaround — E
The turnaround is the last two bars of a blues progression: the phrase that doesn't conclude but throws you back to the first chord as the form loops. Here it's isolated from the rest (E7-A7-E7-B7) and worked on its own, out of context, so hand and ear know it cold before you put it back in place. The final B7 is the key: it's the dominant chord, and it creates the tension that the return to E7 resolves. A blues without a turnaround sounds like a slammed door; with one, it spins.
Tips
Play the four chords as held chords first, one bar each, to hear what each degree does before adding rhythm.
Don't try to land on the B7: let it ring open, unresolved, because that imbalance is what pulls you back to the top.
Once the phrase is solid, tack it onto the end of a full E blues progression from the catalogue to hear it do its job.
Chord progression — E
Chords
Related sheets
- Blues in D — syncopated rhythm (Level 4)
- Three-note rolling lick riff — D minor (Level 4)
- String-skip zigzag riff — A minor (Level 4)