Blues turnarounds

[zepafa]

Hi Wille

I've been practicing the blues turnarounds and they sound great when I'm playing on my own. My question is...how do I fit these in when playing with others? Do you have to pre-arrange a turnaround, so that everyone is playing the same chords or do they fit over what everyone else is playing anyway? I don't want to start a turnaround and bring a song to a crashing halt.

Thanks
Gary

[zepafa]

I have another blues related question. When playing jazz it's usual to play the melody before going into solos and then return to the melody at the end. Is this the same with blues piano? Or do you just play licks, improv, comping, turnarounds etc over the whole song?

Thanks
Gary

[wmyette]

Hey Zepafa,

Usually the bass player will take the lead on this. But often they too are listening to hear what others are going to play for a turnaround. So, someone will need to jump in and take the lead.

Since the turnaround happens so fast, a complete train wreck is unlikely. If you are unsure, put fewer notes in your voicings...like only 2 or 3 notes. This leaves fewer notes to conflict with the harmony.

Now for your second question:

It is common in jazz to play melody (head) - improv - melody. In the Blues, it too is common to have some sort of melody or lyric "My baby done left me...etc.." then go into a solo. If you are playing solo, you can just string together different licks and basically solo for a few minutes and end.