Customer Reviews

101 Razor-Sharp Blues Guitar Turnarounds book and CD (Red Dog Music Books Razor-Sharp Blues Guitar Series)

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My students and I work from several of Larry McCabe's guitar books and find that the books produce consistently high results.

This book, like the others, is exceptionally well crafted, specific in intent, and the guitar lines are accurately written exactly as they are heard on the CD. Larry McCabe books are the work of a dedicated teacher who has achieved a high level of respect nationally in the field of music education.

Larry asked me to write a review for this book, and I am happy to do so. The object of this book is to teach the art of playing blues guitar turnarounds to a guitarist who has some prior experience but is just beginning to explore electric blues.

If a student knows how to bend the strings and perhaps play slurs, slides, and hammers, blues turnarounds are not difficult to play. What is important is to play them authentically and with conviction. This book does a very good job in advancing those objectives.

A component of this book that is quite effective is that every phrase is written in the Key of C. The student should then transpose each lick to other keys, a desirable skill that encourages individual incentive and ability to solve arranging problems.

The turnarounds sound exactly like the ones played on classic blues recordings by the great artists from Chicago and other urban areas.

I know other teachers who swear by Larry's books, and I am one of them. Great book- effective in its aims, ambitious content, fun to work through, and a great value.

About a year ago a teacher/performer friend asked me who my first guitar teacher was. Larry McCabe, quite a few years ago. My friend looked surprised, and told me he uses Larry's books in his own teaching, and that Larry had written something like 80 books to date. I had no idea, as Larry was in the process of writing his first book when I had lessons with him. So when it came time to brush up on some basic blues licks for a band I'm in I ended up obtaining some of Larry's books.

This book of blues turnarounds is where I started. What a great book - full of excellent turnaround licks. At this point I've only played through about half of them note for note, but have used those as a basis for coming up with my own licks. And to me, that is the mark of a great book - lots of useful information if read note-for-note, but can also be used as a springboard for creating new ideas.

The licks I've learned from the book thus far are all in the key of C, but can be easily used in other keys if one has a basic knowledge of the notes on the fretboard. I'd highly recommend this book for a beginner wanting to learn stock blues licks, or intermediate players who need to expand their blues vocabulary.

An Excellent Choice for the Early Intermediate Blues Guitarist

A turnaround is a lick played at the end of a section of music. A blues turnaround would be played in measures 11-12 of a 12-bar blues, or measures 7-8 of an eight-bar blues.

Electric urban blues turnarounds are fairly easy to play, and the difference from one to another is subtle. Having the ability to play a variety of turnarounds is an important skill in blues guitar playing. This is the best book I know of that addresses exclusively the subject of electric blues guitar turnarounds.

This a book for a VERY ambitious beginner, or an early intermediate guitarist who has an interest in Chicago blues in the classic style of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, etc.

The licks are all arranged in the key of C. This is for ease of analysis and comparison. The user is encouraged to transpose the licks to other keys - a worthwhile project for exploring and learning the fingerboard. Very, very good practice for learning the art of blues phrasing.

Great book from one of our leading authors. My students (and myself) have consistently benefited from the interesting instruction contained here.

This book teaches 101 turnarounds in the urban blues guitar style. It is an excellent book and contains everything you need to know to play great turnarounds.

The turnarounds are fairly easy to play. What this book does is provide a wealth of them. Learn them, then use them in your favorite blues songs.

Transpose to other keys to become more familiar with your guitar fingerboard. Use the turnarounds to improve your string-bending abilities, and your timing of blues phrases over a shuffle beat.

The recording is very simple, played for the benefit of learners, very easy to understand and play along with.

Learn these turnarounds after you understand blues rhythm playing. As a guitar teacher, I find this book suitable for players who have mastered the rudiments. In my lessons, I often assign the book with, or following, the student's use of Larry's "101 Razor-Sharp Blues Guitar Rhythm Patterns" and the beginning of "Complete Rhythm Guitar Guide for Blues Bands."

This book and Larry's "101 Razor-Sharp Blues Guitar Fill-In Licks" will teach you how to play in the gaps when the singer is resting.

The skill of a blues guitarist can be measured in one way by the variety of blues turn-arounds they know. This book is helpful for giving you exactly what you need-different ideas for blues turnarounds. It has been helpful to me because I have had to think about how to move these licks to other keys (they are all in C). They have also forced me to ask what constitutes a turnaround. This has led me to re-examine what the I-IV-V progression really means. this book is superb and offers exactly what the description promises.

The turnarounds also inspire different ideas for other non turnaround licks.

Put all of your turnarounds in one place. This book has a spiral binding which is a big plus. The turnarounds are all in the key of C, but if you want to learn about turnarounds then learning to transpose is a plus. These can be adapted as intros, used to make up your own licks, or used right out of the book. Great practice tool.Beginners should know how to play twelve and eight bar rhythms and be serious about practicing.