238658923659

114 Part II: Setting Up to Play the Blues Accessorizing the 12-Bar Blues: Intros,
Turnarounds, and Endings
Intros (short for introductions), turnarounds, and endings are all enhancements
to the 12-bar blues. They’re used to steer the song toward repeats or
resolutions and are all related. There are countless variations for these three
devices, and they’re often reworked versions of each other, where the only
difference is how they end.
Intros
An intro often features a solo lick by the guitar, piano, or other instrument
(think of “That’ll Be the Day” by Buddy Holly). But sometimes the whole band
plays the intro, and the guitar is expected to play rhythm guitar (licks and
riffs are covered in Chapter 7).
Intros often borrow from their turnaround cousins, because the whole idea is
to set up the I chord and the beginning of the progression — the same duties
that the turnaround has. Turnarounds are covered in the next section.
Figure 6-12 shows a basic two-bar intro. The rhythm features a syncopation
and then a held note, which creates a musical space (or hole) before the
downbeat of the 12-bar progression. This space allows room for a vocal or
instrumental melodic pickup — a phrase that starts before bar one.
TEAM LinG
Track 27, 0:00
Figure 6-12:
A simple
two-bar
intro.
(qr=qce)
E7
2 1
B7
213 4
Figure 6-13 is a four-bar intro that is just the last four bars of the 12-bar blues.
This intro is popular and is often announced by a musician saying, “Let’s
bring it in from the V,” or “Let’s walk it down from the V.”