In lesson five, you were introduced to the 12 Bar Blues chord progression, a progression that is also frequently used in Rock music. Another important 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 also. The following chord progression is a turnaround in the key of G major.
Unlike 12 Bar Blues where the progression occurs over a fixed number of bars, the chords used in a turnaround progression may vary in length. However the chord sequence remains the same. Some of the biggest hit records of all time are based upon a turnaround progression.
The most common turnaround progression is constructed by using 1st (I), 4th (IV), 5th (V) and 6th (VIm) chords in a given key. Note that the sixth chord in a key is a minor chord. The following chart outlines the I, IV, V and VIm chords in each key.
Rhythm Pattern
Now try the same progression in the key of D.
Rhythm Pattern
There are many variations of the turnaround progression. The following example is in ^ time and each chord is played for two bars. The V7 chord is also used.
Rhythm Pattern