Turnarounds

Lesson 3/79 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Fingerpicking Method

Turnarounds

There are two main turnarounds, which are labelled Turnaround One and Turnaround Two.

Turnaround One

Key of C

This turnaround can be played in any key by transposing (see Appendix Three). Here is the same turnaround in the key of G, playing two chords per bar.

Key of G

Here is a list of songs which use turnaround one.*

I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
The Night Has a 1000 Eyes – Bobby Vee
It’s Raining Again – Supertramp
More – Various Artists
Ti Amo – Umberto Tozzi
Crocodile Rock (chorus) – Elton John
One Last Kiss – Various Artists
Stand By Me – John Lennon
Dream – Everly Brothers
Return to Sender – Elvis Presley
Telstar – Tornadoes
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
Why do Fools Fall in Love – Frankie Lyman/Diana Ross
Sarah – Fleetwood Mac
Take Good Care of my Baby – Bobby Vee/Smokey
Where have all the Flowers Gone – Various Artists
Runaround Sue – Dion & the Belmonts
Tell Me Why – The Beatles
Let’s Twist Again – Chubby Checker
Stay (Just a Little Bit Longer) – The Four Seasons/Jackson Browne
Cool for Cats – U.K. Squeeze
Y.M.C.A – The Village People
Tired of Toein’ the Line – Rocky Burnett
You Drive Me Crazy – Shakin’ Stevens
Should I do it – Pointer Sisters
Poor Little Fool – Rick Nelson
You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – Dusty Springfield/Elvis Presley
Breaking up is Hard to do – Neil Sedaka/Partridge Family
Oh Carol – Neil Sedaka
Two Faces Have I – Lou Christie
Every Day – Buddy Holly
Poetry in Motion – Johnny Tillotson
Sweet Little 16 – Neil Sedaka
Big Girls Don’t Cry – Four Seasons
Sherry – Four Seasons
How Do You Do It – Jerry & The Pacemakers
Shout, Shout – Rocky Sharp & The Replays
Aces With You – Moon Martin
Houses of the Holy – Led Zeppelin
Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations
"Happy Days" – Theme
Joane – Michael Nesmith
Goodnight Sweetheart – Various Artists
Looking For An Echo – Ol’55
Summer Holiday – Cliff Richard
Be My Baby – The Ronettes/Rachel Sweet
Everlasting Love – Rachel Sweet/Love Affair
I Go To Pieces (verse) – Peter & Gordon
Love Hurts – Everly Brothers/Jim Capaldi/Nazareth
Gee Baby – Peter Shelley
Classic – Adrian Gurvitz
Teenage Dream – T-Rex
Blue Moon – Various Artists
The Tide is High – Blondie
Dennis – Blondie
It Ain’t Easy – Normie Rowe
My World – Bee Gees
Hey Paula – Various Artists
It’s Only Make Believe – Glen Campbell
Can’t Smile Without You – Barry Manilow
Crossfire – Bellamy Brothers
Bobby’s Girl – Marcie Blane
Do That To Me One More Time – Captain & Tenile
Please Mr Postman – Carpenters/ The Beatles
Sharin’ The Night Together – Dr Hook
9 to 5 (Morning Train) – Sheena Easton
Diana – Paul Anka
Enola Gay – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Some Guys Have All the Luck – Robert Palmer
So Lonely – Get Wet
Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen
Land of Make Believe (chorus) – Buck Fizz
Daddys Home – Cliff Richard
The Wonder of You – Elvis Presley
So You Win Again – Hot Chocolate
Hang Five – Rolling Stones
Paper Tiger – Sue Thompson
Venus – Frankie Avalon
Costafine Town – Splinter
If You Leave – OMD
True Blue – Madonna

* Some of the songs listed under Turnarounds vary from the basic structure of this progression. For example, the turnaround progression may be used in the verses, but not in the chorus.

Turnaround Two

Turnaround Two uses a different minor chord in the second bar.

Key of C

Crocodile Rock (verse) – Elton John
I started a Joke – The Bee Gees
Different Drum – Linda Ronstadt
Key Largo – Bertie Giggins
Black Berry Way – The Move
Georgy Girl – Seekers
Where Do You Go To My Lovely – Peter Sarstedt
Mrs Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter – Hermans Hermits
Toast and Marmalade for Tea – Tin Tin
Movie Star – Harpo
It’s A Heartache – Bonnie Tyler
I Don’t Like Mondays – The Boomtown Rats
My Angel Baby – Toby Beau
Land Of Make Believe (verse) – Bucks Fizz
I’m In the Mood for Dancing – The Nolans
What’s in a Kiss – Gilbert O’Sullivan
My Baby Loves Love – Joe Jeffries
Dreamin’ – Johnny Burnett
Cruel To Be Kind – Nick Lowe
Where Did Our Love Go – Diana Ross & The Supremes
Hurdy Gurdy Man – Donovan
I Go To Pieces (chorus) – Peter & Gordon
Get It Over With – Angie Gold
Sad Sweet Dreamer – Sweet Sensation
Down Town – Petula Clark
Easy – Oakridge Boys
Only You Can Do It – Francoise Hardy
Costafine – Splinter (chorus)
Where Did Our Love Go? – Phil Collins

12 Bar Blues

12 Bar Blues is a set pattern of chords which repeats every 12 bars.

Here is a 12 Bar Blues in the key of A:

Here is a list of songs which use 12 Bar Blues.

Be-bop-a-lula – Gene Vincent/John Lennon
Hound Dog – Elvis Presley
Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
Boppin’ the Blues – Blackfeather
The Wanderer – Dion
Going up the Country – Canned Heat
Makin’ Your Mind Up – Bucks Fizz
Green Door – Shakin’ Stevens
In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry
Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley & The Comets
Barbara Ann – The Beach Boys
Let’s Stick Together – Bryan Ferry
Long Tall Glasses (I Know I Can Dance) – Leo Sayer
Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley
School Days (Ring Ring Goes the Bell) – Chuck Berry
Roll Over Beethoven – Chuck Berry
Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum
Turn Up Your Radio – The Masters Apprentices
Tutti Frutti – Little Richard
Dizzy Miss Lizzy – Larry Williams/The Beatles
Peggy Sue – Buddy Holly
Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley
Get Down and Get With It – Slade
Good Golly Miss Molly – Little Richard
Lucille – Little Richard
In the Mood – Glen Miller
Surfin’ Safari – The Beach Boys
Peppermint Twist – Sweet
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – The Andrew Sisters/Bett Midler
I Hear You Knocking – Dave Edmunds
Boy From New York City – Darts/Manhattan Transfer
Mountain of Love – Johnny Rivers
I Love to Boogie – T-Rex
Shake Rattle & Roll – Bill Hayley
Lady Rose – Mungo Jerry
Theme to Batman
Theme to Spiderman
Stuck in the Middle with you – Stealers Wheel
Hot Love – T-Rex
The Huckle Buck – Brendan Bower
Way Down – Elvis Presley
I Can Help – Billy Swan
Rockin’ Robin – Michael Jackson
Red House – Jimi Hendrix
Texas Flood – Stevie Ray Vaughan
Killing Floor – Jimi Hendrix
The Jack – ACDC
Ice Cream Man - Van Halen
Oh Pretty Woman – Gary Moore
Give Me One Reason – Tracy Chapman
Why Didn’t You Call Me? – Macy Gray

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Turnarounds

Turnarounds

Turnaround One

Here is a list of songs which use turnaround one.*

Turnaround Two

12 Bar Blues

Here is a list of songs which use 12 Bar Blues.

Gary Turner and Brenton White

Class Sessions

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