Turnaround Progressions
In Lesson 4, you were introduced to the 12 Bar Blues chord progression. Another common chord progression to learn is called the Turnaround. Like 12 Bar Blues, it is the basis of many songs, and it will probably sound familiar to you. Unlike 12 Bar Blues, where the progression occurs over a fixed number of bars, the Turnaround progression may vary in length as in the examples that follow, however the chord sequence remains the same. Some of the biggest hit records of all time are based upon the Turnaround progression. Every year since the beginning of Rock music there are hit songs based upon 12 Bar Blues and Turnaround progressions.
Songs using the Turnaround progression
- Stand by Me - John Lennon
- I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
- Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
- All I Have to do is Dream - Everly Brothers
- Be My Baby - The Ronettes
- Everlasting Love - U2
- Can’t Smile Without You - Barry Manilow
- Please Mr Postman - The Beatles
- Blue Moon - Various Artists
- Tell Me Why - The Beatles
- Let's Twist Again - Chubby Checker
All Turnaround progressions contain at least one minor chord.
The following chord progression is a Turnaround in the key of G and it contains a new chord, E minor (Em).
E Minor Chord
Em
To play the Em chord, use the second and third fingers of your left hand as shown in the diagram. Strum all six strings.
In this Turnaround there are two bars of each chord.
A Minor Chord
Am
To play the Am chord use the first, second and third fingers of your left hand as shown in the diagram. Strum all six strings.
