Chords for Sweet Blues Guitar Turnaround - Jazzy Acoustic Blues Lesson

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ [B] _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _
_ Okay, a close look at the fretboard, getting started with our weekend mini lesson. _
Today, I'm going to be sharing with you an advanced blues guitar technique, a chordal
turnaround [E] in the key of A.
[Db] _
_ _ So, _ basically what we're going to do is a 12-bar blues in
the key of A, just to make sure all [Ab] of you have that progression [C] down.
We'd have 16 beats on the [Bbm] _ [A] A7 chord, _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bb] _ 8 beats on a _
[D] _ D9 chord, [Am] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Ab] 8 beats on an [A] A7 chord, _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Ab] alright,
4 beats on an _ E9, [Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ to the D9 [D] for 4 beats, [Am] _ _ _ _ _
_ and then back to the [Ab] 1 chord, _ _ [A] A7.
1, _ 2, _ 3, 4, _ _ 5, 6, _ 7, 8.
_ [G] _ _ So, _
_ _ [E] _ 16, _ [A] 8, _ 8, [Ab] _ _ _ _
[Gb] 4, _ _ [A] 4, _ _ _ 8, _ _ [G] creates a standard 12-bar blues with [A] some bluesy 7s _ _ _ [Bm] and _ _ [Am] 9ths.
[Abm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _ Okay, [Cm] now that you have the basic chord progression [Bb] down, _ _ let's _ variate the last two measures
to include a turnaround.
_ The _ _ very basic one I'm going to show you is called the basic walk-up [Ab] turnaround.
It sounds like [A] this.
_ _ [Db] _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [E] _
_ [G] _ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ And that replaces the last two measures of A7 _ in that 12-bar blues. _
[Ab] _ So, if I was coming out of the end of the progression _ _ on the E9, _ _ _ _ 2, 3, _ 4, [Gb] _ _ 5, 6, this
would jump in like [A] this. _
_ [Db] _ _ _ [D] _ _ [Eb] _ _
_ [E] _ _ [G] _ _ [Bm] _ _ _
And then the whole thing [A] starts over again, _ _ _ the 12-bar. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Okay, so that was 5th fret, low E string, _ _ _ _ play that twice, _ _ _ [Bb] then the 4th fret of the
A, _ _ _ 5th [D] fret, _ _ _ _ 6th [Eb] fret, _ _ _ _ 7th [E] fret, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ then _ _ an _ [F] F9 [Cm] _ _ _ _
_ _ and _ [E] an E9.
_ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _
Okay, so [Ab] we added a chord in there, that [G] F9 chord, which [F] is _ 8, _ [A]
7, [Eb] _ _ 8, 8, 8.
[Cm] _ _ _ _ _ Bring that back a semi [E]-turn, _ [Bm] _ _
_ and then the whole thing wants to resolve, because now
you're [Gm] on the 5 chord, [A] right?
_ [Gb] 1, 4, [D] _
5.
The 5 chord is the crescendo [Ab]
chord.
_ Okay, so in context again, _ 1, 2, 3, 4, [Am] _ 1, 2, 3, _ [A] 4, 1, [Db]
2, [D] _ [Cm] 3, [E] 4, [A] 1 and [Ab] 2 and 3 and [A] 4.
_ _ _ Just like that.
_ [C]
Okay, so now you have the basic 12-bar blues, _ the basic walk-up turnaround.
_ _ _ Now we're going to add kind of a jazzy, acoustic blues vibe to that turnaround by adding harmonies
to each of the notes in that bass line.
_ Okay, again, coming out of the end of that 12-bar blues, the 9th measure on the E chord, _
a [Ab] 1, 2, _ _ 3, _ 4, _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Gb] _
1, _ 2, _ sounds like [A] this.
_ _ _ [Db] _ _ _
[Bm] _ _ [Ebm] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ [Gbm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Alright, [A] and a nice way to resolve there, just extra.
_ _ _ Okay, real slow again, that technique. _ _ _
[Db] _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[E] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ebm] _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] So we're taking those bass notes from the original turnaround _ _ _ [Eb]
and [E] _ _ _ [Db] adding _ _
_ _ _ [Ab] _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ chords, _ harmonies
over them, okay?
So the first chord that we have is an A dominant [A] 7. _ _ _ _ _
Okay, [E] again that's bar and 5, we have the A [Db] string 7 and the G string [A] _
6.
_ _ _ _ Pluck the root _ _ and then do a little upstroke with your fingers. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Okay, _ _ _ and you do [Eb] the same thing to a chord that we call [Db] C sharp [B] _ _ _ half diminished, also
called C sharp minor 7 flat 5.
_ [A] If there was an A in the bass, [Em] _ _ it'd be called A 9.
_ _ Okay, but [Db] _
we're riding that bass [Em] line. _ _
_ _ _ _ Alright, [Ab] frets for this, we [Db] have _ 4 on the A, _ 5 on the D, _
[E] 4 on the G, _ and _ _ 5 on the B string.
So far [A] we have.
_ _ [Db] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] Then we'll go to that D [D] 9 chord, [C] _ _ _
_ alright, [D] so that's [Ab] 5, [Gb] 4, 5, [D] 5, 5.
[Am] _ _ _
Alright, I can get the high E string in there too, _ _ if I like it.
_ _ _ [A] Alright, now we have.
_ [Db] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ Alright, next, very cool chord, E flat diminished.
[Ebm] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bb] Alright, A string [A] 6, D string [Cm] 7, _ _ _ G [Gb] string 5, _ and the B string [Ebm] 7. _ _ _ _ _ _
Love that chord.
_ _ [E] Alright, _ now we [A] have the A, [Db] _ _
the C sharp, _ the [D]
D, _ [Eb] the E flat [Ebm] diminished. _
_ _ [Bm] Alright, then [E] I'm going to go to an E dominant 7.
_ Alright, _ _ _ _ _ so now I have _ _ 7, _ _ [D] 6, _ _ _ _ [E] 7, _ _ _ 5. _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ [Ebm] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
I'm going to bring that up [F] a half step, _ _ _ _ _ _ root strum root, _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ and then back to _ that _ _ [Gb] E7 chord
for a root strum.
_ So that was [Bb] _ _ _ F7 _ [F] to E7.
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ Put it all together [A] now. _
[Db] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ [Ab] _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Then the whole thing can either start [Em] over again, or you could resolve it.
I like to [A] resolve it.
_ _ _ [Gbm] _
_ _ _ _ The really cool little harmony here. _ _ _ _
_ [Gb] This is a major 7, 13 chord.
_ _ _ We got [A] the _ _ root, _ [Bb] 5th fret [Ab] low E string, _ [Ab] 6th fret D, _ _ _ and the [Gb] 6th fret G, _ _ _ and the B string _ _ _ [Gbm] 7th fret. _ _
_ _ _ _ Okay, [A] or you could just do _ _ an _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A7 chord, _ whatever you like.
_ Alright, so now you got this [D] great _
_ [Ab] _ [E] chordal _ _ [F] turnaround _ [E] _ to _ _ _ _ add to your blues repertoire. _ _
_ [B] Congratulations. _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _ [Gb] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Gb] _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ [Gb] _