Escaping The Turnaround
Published: Fri, 01/19/24
So a month or two ago, I finally went back to the source and checked out Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell's 1928 recording of "How Long How Long Blues," the original recorded version of the song now generally just called "How Long Blues," and boy, was it an informative experience.
As a guitarist, I have certain ideas in mind about what constitutes a turnaround, but on "How Long Blues," an eight-bar blues subsequently recorded by everyone from Count Basie to Hot Tuna, Leroy Carr doesn't reach for any of the usual descending-chromatic-line stuff. Instead, he uses the last couple bars of the form to play various drawn-out phrases that take you from the I to the V and back again, setting things up for the next chorus of vocals.
It's very cool, but also definitely one of those things that is much easier to demonstrate than to explain in words. So for today's Youtube lesson I go over some examples of how it's done; you can find it at the link below:
Pentatonic Turnaround Licks
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And now for a few announcements about some upcoming events:
I'll be returning to the Rocky Mountain Guitar Camp this summer, teaching alongside old and new pals Pat Bergeson, John Knowles, Jim Nichols, Richard Smith and Brooks Robertson. It was a stupidly fun time last summer, and registration is now open for August 2024 at Rocky Mountain Guitar Camp 2024.
If you can't wait that long, I'll be teaching a one-day Fingerstyle Blues Intensive at 6 String Ranch right here in Austin, Texas on March 2nd; registration is limited to just 15 people and you can sign up at Fingerstyle Blues Intensive.
I've got a couple shows coming up in New Hampshire in February, at the University of New Hampshire on February 12 and the Sap House Meadery on February 15; you can find links to the events on my web site's About page: New Hampshire Shows.
This month in the Fingerstyle Five membership, we're doing a steady-bass arrangement of "How Long Blues" in A – everything from how to keep your thumb together while playing the melody, to syncopating that melody, adding in bass lines and yes, playing some blues-lick-based turnarounds, too. To learn "How Long Blues" and many more traditional eight- and twelve-bar blues, go to Fretboard Confidential and sign up.
Finally, my Slide Foundations online workshop takes place a week from Saturday, on January 27th; you can learn more about that and sign up at Slide Foundations.
Whew! That's it for now, I think.
More soon,
David