Killer Blues Guitar Licks - Blues Turnarounds

Killer Blues Guitar Licks -
Blues Turnarounds In E

Free Download & Resources

Whether you are jamming on an acoustic or an electric guitar, take your bluesy licks to the next level!

Today's lesson is just an excerpt from a free blues mini-course I made, more on that later, in the following we will cover three killer blues turnarounds (out of the 20+ turnarounds that I share in the course) you can use to enhance your lead and rhythm guitar playing in the context of blues.

By the end of this lesson, you will learn:
• Three killer turnaround licks
• The theory behind them
• How to play the turnarounds using your pick, or Hybrid picking, and or fingerstyle (when possible)

For every turnaround, I will start with a quick explanation, showcasing correct fingerings, scales used, and rhythm, then finish with a timestamp showcasing a live demonstration over the track.

Disclaimer: For all the turnarounds you can choose to either let the first note ring or choke it, It's up to you.

Check out @1:28 for a quick demonstration. Let's go!

Guitar Blues Lick - Turnaround #1:

For turnaround 1, we are following a descending pattern going from E to B7 and back to E. (Following the progression of the track)

Note: Doing that instantly makes you sound very melodic, check out our lesson on chord tone soloing for more on that.

I'm starting and finishing the turnaround on an E chord:
• The first group of notes on the 4th fret at the end are outlining the notes of E. (playing the chord tones of E)
• Then, we take that pattern and repeat it down the fretboard. (on frets 3 then 2)
• The last grouping of notes on fret 2 is also outlining another chord from our progression, B7.

• Finally finish on an E chord (1 0 0)
• Before playing the baseline (0 1 2)

Demonstration over the track @2:20 of the video lesson.

Guitar Blues Lick - Turnaround #3:

Turnaround #3 is very similar to the first one, we are still following a descending pattern, playing three notes on every beat (playing triplets).
However, now we are playing the full chords. Starting on E7 and sliding the dominant 7 shape down the fretboard.
Note: For chord fingerings, you can choose to use 3 2 4 or 2 1 3

For hybrid picking:
• Use the pick for the G string + Baseline in the end
• Middle/second finger for the B string
• Ring/third finger for the high E string

For fingerstyle:
• Use the thumb for the baseline at the end
• Index/ first finger for the G string
• Middle/second finger for the B string
• Ring/third finger for the high E string

Demonstration over the track @3:42 of the video lesson.

Guitar Blues Lick - Turnaround #4:

For this turnaround, we switch things up a bit, instead of playing triplets or 3 notes on every beat, we will play eighth notes (two notes on every beat).

However, since we are in the context of blues we will swing them, meaning the first note will always ring a little longer than the second one.

Check out @4:06 of the lesson for a comparison between triplets, regular eighth, and eighth in the context of blues (triplets feel a.k.a shuffle groove)
Disclaimer: Technique-wise, we'll have to use fingerstyle or hybrid picking for this turnaround. 

So either use:
• Pick + ring finger (Hybrid picking)
• Thumb + either index or middle finger (for fingerstyle)

Check out @5:25 for the demonstration over the track.
Final Words
You can use these turnarounds to finish off any solo or rhythm guitar part in the context of blues with style!

These will be a great addition to your bluesy lick arsenal, but don't just copy them, try to create your own using the same concepts we covered today.

Learn more awesome blues licks just like these, have a deeper understanding of the twelve-bar blues progression by checking out my free ''blues mini-course'', if you are at all interested in taking your blues guitar playing to the next level!


Free Blues Mini Course 

Helps you to:
✅ Shine more during blues jam sessions by spicing up your Lead & Rhythm blues playing
✅ Improve your rhythmic skills so you can create rhythmic variations in a blues context
✅ Play creative turnarounds so you can leave the cliché licks behind and stop playing the same old things over and over again
✅ Enhance your flat-picking and finger-picking techniques so you can express yourself better

You'll get instant access to...

🎥 5 bite-sized easy to understand video lessons
🎵 2 Killer 12 Bar Blues backing tracks
🎸 Downloadable PDF with TAB, Scale Diagrams and notation

Grab it before it's gone!

Here's the link: https://www.jhguitarschool.com/blues-turnarounds-cheatsheet




Author: Jack Haddad
Jack Haddad is an expert Guitar educator and teacher and has been helping guitarists, through his innovative methods, get incredible results on the guitar, whether they want to jam with friends or rock out on the big stage.

You can find out more about Jack Haddad's teaching here: https://www.jhguitarschool.com
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