I can't remember how I discovered the great jazz pianist Ray Bryant; it may have been as simple as chancing upon his classic 1950s LP Alone With The Blues on a used-record-store crawl some time in the early 2000s.

All I know is, I've been deeply enamored of his playing ever since, and at one point took to the time to decipher a signature move of his, a particularly engaging turnaround that seemed to crop up on more than one of his many iterations of the twelve-bar blues.

Over time, it's become an integral part of my own playing, so for today's Youtube lesson, I break down my adaptation of Bryant's turnaround changes for a steady-bass blues in E.

You can find it here:

The Ray Bryant Turnaround

Next week in the Fingerstyle Five, we're wrapping up our three-month look at "Key To The Highway" with an hour-long live streamed lesson on adding hot single-note open-position licks to an eight-bar blues in E. 

All of the preceding lessons on "Key To The Highway" – along with a complete archive of every traditional blues we've ever covered in the membership – are available for ongoing, on-demand viewing when you become a member. 

To sign up and join us, go to:

The Fingerstyle Five

More soon,

David