Here’s a couple of turnaround licks you can use all the time in blues. The first is a classic T-Bone Walker lick and the second is one you hear Stevie Ray Vaughan doing all the time. Both are “required licking” for any blues guitarist.
T-Bone Walker Turnaround Lick
This is a classic lead run that T-Bone Walker made famous. It’s a run that takes you through a blues progression and you can apply not only to medium speed shuffles but also to many slow blues.
Now take your time. The key to playing relatively fast runs is to start slowly. Don’t try to play them at the video tempo here unless your already feel comfortable. Stop the video and play the lick at a much slower tempo. Once you get it down then you can increase the tempo and then play along with the video.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Turnaround
On this second one you’ll recognize it as one Vaughan plays all the time on a Texas Shuffle groove like Pride and Joy, or Lookin’ Out The Window. It will take a little practice, but if you can learn it, you’ll turn some heads at the next blues jam.
Again remember to take it slow in the beginning. Learn to play it clean and accurately at first and then slowly increase your speed. This video comes from TrueFire.com one of the best sites for getting online blues guitar lessons. I highly recommend them. You can learn more about them here.
Have fun!
