How to Do a Blues Shuffle and Turnaround on Guitar

The blues shuffle is a standard chord progression that is the basis for many popular songs and must be studied closely by guitarists in all genres. The basic structure is quite simple although variations in the turnaround provide an infinite number of possibilities. The following steps will show how to do a blues shuffle and turnaround on guitar.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Study the basic 12-bar blues shuffle pattern: T, T, T, T, S, S, T, T, D, S, T and T where each letter tells you the key of the chords that will be played in that measure. T stands for Tonic (first note), S stands for Subdominant (fourth note) and D stands for Dominant (fifth note).

2. For the key of E, you have E, E, E, E, A, A, E, E, B, A, E, E. For a turnaround, however, change at least part of the last measure to the dominant chord (B for the key of E).

3. Use the turnaround to make the transition to the next set of 12 bars. The turnaround can be complex but almost always ends in the dominant seventh chord. This creates tension leading to the next verse in the song.

4. Consider some general possibilities for the turnaround. The musician may use a walk up that progresses from the tonic to the dominant seventh chord by individual notes or alternate between the two chords.

5. Look at some techniques for the turnaround that are specific to the guitar. The turnaround commonly uses bending and sliding to make the transition to the next 12-bar set.

Resources

• Find out more about the blues shuffle at Guitar Bootcamp.