From the course: Songwriting Techniques with Chords

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Turnarounds

Turnarounds - Sibelius Tutorial

From the course: Songwriting Techniques with Chords

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Turnarounds

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- A turnaround is a chord progression that's designed to circle back to the starting point, allowing the song to continue seamlessly. Turnarounds have been around for centuries, and are a staple of the American songbook, the collection of songs that form the basis of jazz music. Often in jazz standards, we'll see a turnaround used to signal the end of a section, or 32-bar form. In the world of the modern pop song, a turnaround means a progression that literally turns the phrase around and gets us back to the start. The goal of most turnarounds is to lead the ear back to the tonic chord of the song. One of the most obvious and famous examples of a turnaround is the chord progression of Pachelbel's Cannon. Listen to how the sequence of chords inevitably leads you back to the I chord. Take a listen to this chord progression. I'll call out the chords as they come by. Here's the C chord (piano chord rings out) to the G chord (piano chord rings out) to the A minor (piano chord rings out) to…

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