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  #1  
Old 03-21-2019, 08:28 PM
Tnfiddler Tnfiddler is offline
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Default If you're just a rhythm player, what do you do for turnarounds in a songs?

I'm wanting to start doing some solo singing gigs. I'm strictly a rhythm player and I've always played in bands or duets where I have a lead guitar or other instrument to do turnarounds in between verses in a song. What do you regular giggers do in this situation. I don't want my songs to be totally boring, but I really have no clue how to do this other than just strumming through the chord progression of the songs.
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Old 03-21-2019, 11:19 PM
Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is offline
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Try arpeggiating the chords to make it sound different...

Vary the rhythm pattern a bit - add a few strums or subtract a few...

You can create a simple 'solo' sometimes by playing the same verse or chorus chords, but in different voicings than you use while singing. Sometimes it can even start to resemble a chord melody.

This will require some knowledge of different positions and voicings, and may lead you to areas of the fretboard that might be strange. In general, space is your friend, used judiciously - interludes often sound great with LESS notes and smartly placed rests.
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Old 03-21-2019, 11:33 PM
tonyo tonyo is offline
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I use walking bass lines to finish a verse or transition from the chorus to a the verse, that sort of thing, sometimes, like with Simple Man, it's used within the verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GSHjffgXe0
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Old 03-22-2019, 02:23 PM
Riverwolf Riverwolf is offline
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I don't really understand the question...
Why do you need some type of turnaround for every song?
What type of music is this?
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Old 03-22-2019, 03:28 PM
Tnfiddler Tnfiddler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwolf View Post
I don't really understand the question...
Why do you need some type of turnaround for every song?
What type of music is this?
I do contemporary Christian music and country. I know I can go straight out of a chorus and back into a verse and that’d be easy, but it would also make the songs much shorter and boring. So what I’m asking is in the spots where there is usually a solo, what can I do as a rhythm player to make it Interesting.
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Old 03-22-2019, 03:56 PM
Mandobart Mandobart is offline
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I'm a solo gig player mostly. Here are a few things I do:

1. Play hammer-on runs from one chord to the next.

2. Pick the melody out of the chord shape while hitting the chord on 1 and 2 (assuming 4/4 time). Its there in at least 80% of all popular tunes.

3. Throw in color chords to strum a chord melody.

4. Play melody on harmonica while you strum the chords.

5. Play through the verse or chorus chords in a higher inversion up the neck with a rhythmic variation.

I'm not guaranteeing it still won't be boring - that's on you.
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Old 03-24-2019, 10:59 PM
RockyRacc00n RockyRacc00n is offline
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Is this the kind of stuff you’re talking about? You said country so posted an example from this guy’s channel.



I’m learning a lot by copying his covers of some of my favorite songs.
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Old 03-25-2019, 06:54 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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For some songs, you can indeed embellish the chord playing to make the 'lead verse' stand out more. If you're a strictly strummer-type player, this may not be an option (and it also doesn't work on every song) - in which case, you have to skip the 'lead verse'. You can repeat the first verse, if that works for the song, or do an extra chorus, but, yes, often times you end up with a lot of 2 minute 30 second songs.
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  #9  
Old 03-25-2019, 06:56 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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Neil Young is your friend for starters.

The Youtube playlist for After the Goldrush is HERE.

The Youtube playlist for Harvest is HERE.

Learn those acoustic guitar songs (and some electric, like "Southern Man" and "Alabama") as played and try applying the lessons to other songs. Then you can come back to me, young padawan.

Bob
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Old 03-25-2019, 08:07 AM
ghostnote ghostnote is offline
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Since it's just you performing, you obviously need to hang around the chords to prevent a train wreck. Fortunately, a bunch of smart guys ^ just mentioned several ways to do that and still make it interesting. I've used some of these things, or variations of them, to good effect. One thing I would add: don't be afraid to use your vocals in conjunction with the guitar in those spots. You can add little backing-vocal-type parts in some songs where the lead would be. You actually have two instruments available to use if you're a singer/player.
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Old 03-25-2019, 08:14 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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I'm confused...a turnaround is a pretty specific musical device, meant to get you to the V and eventually the I for the next verse...

Do these songs actually have turnarounds? Or are you calling something else a "turnaround?" An instrumental break?
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Old 03-25-2019, 09:52 AM
HeyMikey HeyMikey is offline
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No, no, no, don’t listen to any of that. What you need to do is get yourself a pedal board with a massive amount of cool foot stomping buttons. The more the better. And then you need to get yourself at least a dozen different guitars of various sizes, shapes and colors to showcase behind you on stage. Again, the more the better!

If that doesn’t work for you, assuming you actually took me seriously, then I’ve found by looking at or listening to several different renditions of the song - studio vs live vs various covers - it will often give you some great ideas on how to add color in spots to liven it up. YouTube is a goldmine for that.
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Old 03-25-2019, 10:43 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
I'm confused...a turnaround is a pretty specific musical device, meant to get you to the V and eventually the I for the next verse...

Do these songs actually have turnarounds? Or are you calling something else a "turnaround?" An instrumental break?
Hi Jeff

That's how I interpreted his question…instrumental break.


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Old 03-25-2019, 10:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tnfiddler View Post
If you're just a rhythm player,...
Why do you say "JUST" a rhythm player?

It sounds like you are dismissive of that as a lower type of player.

Angus Young said his brother Malcom was the real musician and the glue that held their music together.
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