Document

Page 55

I IV bIII bVI: C F Eb Ab

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' – an ambiguous, harmonically dislocated sequence. It could

also be described as V-I in F followed by V-I in Ab – a turnaround half in one key and

half in another. Compare this with I IV limaj V (C F D G), which also implies two keys

but is more symmetrical. It is the asymmetrical nature of Cobain's riff (the original

started on F) that makes it so great.

I IV bVI Vm: C F Ab Gm

'Not So Manic Now' (Dubstar I).

I bV IImaj bVI: C Gb D Ab

'Credit In The Straight World' v

I bVI V IIImaj: C Ab G E

'Wuthering Heights' v.

I bVII VI V: C Bb Am G

'The Bitterest Pill'. 'China Girl' br.

I bVII bVI Vm: C Bb Ab Gm

'The Sensual World' v.

This is not an exhaustive list - and there are always new combinations to be created. But all the popular sequences
are here and we have already covered a huge amount of potential song material. You can use the above ten groups in
any number of ways by using one turnaround in a chorus and then having a nonturnaround verse and bridge, or by
linking them with each other. You can also mix any of the sequences in these ten groups with any earlier in the
section. It all comes down to what sounds good to your ears and what chords you can pitch a good melody over. A
turnaround might be deployed in each section of a song - one for the verse, one for the chorus, and one for the bridge

• but I would advise against this. You will find that the energy and feel of these sections will seem too similar.
  As your ears get familiar with their sound you will be astonished at how common turnarounds are in recent popular
  music. This is partly because the element of repetition and the fact that they are short makes them easy to remember.
  But don't get trapped by the tyranny of four'. Turnarounds are seductive and they can make you a very lazy and
  predictable writer. To inject more interest into their use there are various techniques for messing about with
  turnarounds. These form the subject of our next section.