Musician's Phrasebook
Turnaround
A short chord progression at the end of a section that leads back to the top of the song.
Why it matters
It's the musical “and here we go again” — recognizing it tells you exactly when the form repeats.
Used in a sentence
“Hit the turnaround and go back to the top.”
Digging deeper
In a 12-bar blues, the last two bars are almost always the turnaround — chord movement that pulls away from the home chord just long enough to make landing back on bar 1 feel inevitable.
Common questions
Is a turnaround the same as an intro?
No — an intro sets up the song before it starts. A turnaround happens at the end of a section and leads back into a repeat, often reusing the same couple of bars every time through.
How long is a typical turnaround?
Usually one or two bars — just enough chord movement to signal “the form is about to repeat,” not a whole new section.
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