Jazz Guitar Turnarounds
One of the most important progressions in Jazz is called the turnaround. Turnarounds are often
four separate chords over a two-bar phrase whose purpose is to connect the phrase that just
happened with the one that is coming. These turnarounds are common in almost every Jazz
song and can be played as simple or as ornate as the player would like. The basic idea is that
you are trying to connect two sections of a Jazz song using four chords that can somehow be
related to each other in the space of two measures.
This practical lesson breaks down a typical turnaround and shows several variations that can be
used by any guitarist to create a great sounding Jazz chord progression.
Basic Turnarounds
Playing Tip
A basic jazz turnaround progression would be the
I - vi - ii - V in the key.
For example, in the key of G the chords would be The Two Bars of a Turnaround:
G - Em - Am - D. But, since we are playing Jazz, 1st Bar: Based on Tonic (I Chord)
let’s add the appropriate seventh to each of 2nd Bar: Based on Dominant (V Chord)
these chords making the progression Gmaj7-
Em7-Am7-D7.
With the addition of the sevenths, this progression already takes on a distinctive Jazz sound.
Now, let’s switch out the second chord in the progression to a G# diminished. This change
creates an interesting bass line that goes from G-G#-A. Remember, diminished chords connect
two different chords. Listen how the use of the diminished chord connects the Gmaj7 and Am7
chords.
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This next example chains together several related dominant seventh chords to eventually
resolve to the Gmaj7.
Adding Color Tones
Another way to jazz up turnarounds is to add color tones to the chords. Color tones refer to
notes above the 7th like the 9th, 11th, or 13th or even to altered notes as in b9, #9, or b5.
In this example, based from the original progression, color tones have been added to each of the
chords creating a much richer sounding progression. Also, notice how the common melody note
of the F# in the first two chords connects the Gmaj13 and the Em9. The Am9 and D13th also
share a common tone in the high B.
This next example uses altered color tones to connect the chords through a melody line. Notice
how the melody descends chromatically from F#-F-E-Eb-D.
Bass Movement
Another way to connect turnaround chords is through bass movement. If you can connect the
bass line together then you can get away with all kinds of non-standard variations in the chords
above them.
Here, a Bm7 is substituted for the Gmaj7 since they share many common tones. Then the Bm7
is walked down chromatically to the Am7.
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Even completely unrelated chords in the key can be connected through a bass line. In this
example the chords are connected through the descending bass line.
Common Tones
A final way to connect turnaround chords is by using a common tone between all of the chords.
This last example incorporates many of the concepts of previous examples but uses the common
melody note of the high G to tie each chord together harmonically.
Turnaround Practice Tips
1) Play through the examples given.
2) Learn any new chord forms.
3) Transpose these progressions into other keys such as A or C.
4) Make up your own turnarounds experimenting with common tones or by
adding color tones.
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20 Jazz Guitar Turnarounds
These turnarounds are in a variety of keys using many different chord forms to help you learn a
variety of Jazz chord shapes. Most examples are major but a few are in minor.
1 A standard I-vim-iim-V turnaround in the key of C.
2 I-vim-iim-V in C with added color tones.
3 I-biiidim-iim-V in C substituting a diminished chord for the vim to resolve down to the
iim. Diminished chords can resolve up to the target chord or down to the target chord.
4 In this turnaround the Aaug7 in the second chord can be thought of as the V of the iim.
The altered sound of the augmented chords gives added pull to the target chords.
5 A minor turnaround - im-bVImaj7-iim7(b5)-Vaug7 in the key of Cm.
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6 A standard I-#Idim-iim-V in the key of G using a common tone D on the 2nd string and a
diminished chord to lead upward to the Am.
7 A turnaround with chromatic notes & passing chords to lead downward to the target chords.
8 A common tone D ties together this string of altered chords.
9 The iiim can be substituted for the I chord. Common shapes tie this turnaround together.
10 This turnaround in Gm uses the bVImaj to a iihalf-dim to accent the minor tonality.
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11 I-VI7-II7-V7 in Bb with passing chords approaching target chords from above.
12 A I-vi-ii-V in Bb using higher voiced altered chords and a common tone of the 1st string
Bb.
13 Symetrical voicing of chords with a common tone of Bb keeps this turnaround together.
14 Chaining secondary dominants together with a common tone D.
15 Chaining secondary dominants with color tones.
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16 A complex turnaround in Eb using the minor iv instead of the iim and bVII instead of the V.
17 Common tone of 1 st
string Bb ties this chromatic turnaround together.
18 This example is a common turnaround progression found in minor songs.
19 This example substitutes the bIII for the minor one chord in Ebm.
20 This turnaround in Eb major uses chords that are the same distance from each other – a
minor 3rd.
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