Four Simple Turnarounds | What They are & How to Use them

There's one thing that I find interesting about popular songs that can have many variations. That is, when it progresses to the end of a section such as a verse or chorus.

If you listen and pay attention to your favorite songs, you'll probably notice that they don't necessarily stay and hold on the final chord of that section for one or two bars.

Let's say you're at the end of a verse or chorus and there are two bars or measures until the song repeats those passages of the song.

The song will usually go through a "turnaround". A turnaround is a chord progression at the end of a section within a song, which often leads back to the beginning or to repeat what has already been played.

After resolving to the I chord, a turnaround will usually begin on the I chord and end on the V7 chord. It in turn will start on the I chord again to proceed and repeat a verse chorus etc.

But even though this is the typical turnaround, there are always variations. There are always options to make things sound more interesting. Your basic turnaround can be a simple I to V7 chord progression.

As an alternative to the V7 chord, you could also use a I to flat 7 turnaround. (Be aware that there's no 3rd in the above chord.  The 9th is serving as a suspended tone and is being referred to as a 2nd since the 2nd and 9th is the same note)

From there, a turnaround can be a longer progression to make it more interesting.  Also notice that there's an altered chord in this turnaround to spice it up.

You can also walkdown to the V chord as a turnaround progression.