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6 Cool Guitar Blues Turn Arounds in the key of E

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Photo by Steve Garry
A good blues turnaround is the icing on the cake of every blues progression.

I always beg, borrow, steal and create my own nice sweet sounding turnarounds to add that extra magic when I’m playing a blues song. It’s one of the things that makes the blues sound so cool.

Blues turnarounds are played at the end of a section of a blues progression which then leads to the next section or the end of the song.

To get a good impression of how turnarounds are played listen to blues guitar players like B.B King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton and study theirs.

Tip: Every time you play the blues try to play a different turnaround, so you don’t end up playing the same turnaround ten years from now. It’s easy to fall into that trap. Expand your vocabulary!

Enjoy these 6 turnarounds to spice up your blues:

Have a great one!


BLUES TURNAROUND #1



 

e:-------0--------0--------0-----------------------------|
B:-----------------------------0-----3--2----------------|
G:----4--------3--------2------1-----3--2----------------|
D:--6--------5--------4--------2-----2--1----------------|
A:---------------------------------x-3--2----------------|
E:-------------------------------------------------------|

 

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22 2-String Alternate Speed Picking Exercises

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Photo by Jason Rogers
A lot of the cool licks that are used in solos are played on just 2 strings. Usually on the high E and B string.

Although they are most common in shredding, you can find them in all genres of music.

The best way to learn these licks fast, clear and fluently is to practice them with alternate picking and the use of a metronome.

Alternate picking means you hold the pick between your thumb and index finger with the pointed end facing toward the strings. You strictly use alternating down and up strokes. The first note you play is downstroke, the second an upstroke, the third one a downstroke, the fourth one an upstroke and so on.

Start out slowly and gradually increase speed. Use the licks as a warm up exercise in your daily practice workout.

Beside the metronome you can also learn to play the licks along with a backing track.

As you do this make sure you focus on correct tempo and timing.

Notes:-All of the exercises below are licks, except for exercise 20 and 21.

-Repetitive licks are shown by the 2 dots next to the bar line. Repeat what ever is written between those two dots. Repetitive licks are repeated at least 2 times or more.

These 22 exercises will really improve your alternate picking speed if you follow the instructions I just mentioned. You’ll have some nice chops to work with.

Have a great work out!



EXERCISE #1 (in key of D major or B minor)
e:---------7--------|------------------------------------|
B:--7-8-10---10-8---|------------------------------------|
G:*----------------*|------------------------------------|
D:*----------------*|------------------------------------|
A:------------------|------------------------------------|
E:------------------|------------------------------------|
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5 Famous Repetitive Classic Blues Rock Metal Guitar Licks

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Photo by Igor Giamoniano

When I was a kid I used to transcribe solos of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guns ‘n Roses, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, etc. And all those famous blues, rock, metal guitar players had one thing in common. They used repetitive guitar licks.

Repetitive licks create a sound that makes it seem like you’re playing really fast. Well maybe you do :) Besides that they just sound really cool. Those licks have made history.

The trick is to use them occasionally, but certainly not too often assuming that you want your solos to sound fresh and don’t want people to get bored out of their minds.

Use them in the middle of your solos when you are working towards a climax or you feel like you’re on a roll. Something like that.

The best way is to listen to those rock n’ roll guitar players and see how they incorporate them into their solos.

Try not just to copy these licks but also change them around a bit. Create your own repetitive licks. Explore and evolve those licks.

These licks are played using A minor or A pentatonic scale.

You can use them over an Am chord progression or a blues rhythm in the key of A.

I always keep repeating this, because I think it’s important. First play the licks slow and make sure you can play each lick perfectly clear before you build up speed.

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12 Cool 3 Notes-Per-String Exercises to Rock On! Part II

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Photo by Frédéric Dupont

Via Twitter I’ve received a lot of positive response and requests for a follow up on the “Cool 3 Notes-Per-String Exercises to Rock on!” post. I thank each and everyone of you.

It’s one of the most popular posts on Guitarhabits. I have a lot of fun in creating these licks so it’s my pleasure to present to you part II.

All of the exercises are licks you can incorperate in your improvisation or solos. Feel free to use them however you like. They are yours to take.

If you haven’t checked out part I yet, I recommend you to do so. Part I also explains the purpose of 3-notes-per-string exercises.

Tip: Practice each exercise with a metronome. Start at a slow pace and gradually increase the beats per minute.

Note: Don’t go any faster until you can play each note clear and correctly. It’s good for you.

Enjoy!


EXERCISE #1(in the key of E minor)
e:-------------------------------------------0-3-5/6--------|
B:-----------------------------------0-3-5------------------|
G:---------------------------0-2-4--------------------------|
D:-------------------0-1-2----------------------------------|
A:-----------0-5-7------------------------------------------|
E:--0-10-12-------------------------------------------------|

 

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