Turn Arounds, Introductions, Endings,

Modulations, and Progressions

Index

Introductions

Turn arounds

• in major keys
• in minor keys

ii - V - I progressions

Modulations

Endings

Introductions

Most introductions set the mood of the song and lead the listener to know what to expect of what will follow.  Some introductions are more mysterious, and some lead to surprises.  Good introductions and endings can make songs more interesting, and provide arrangers with a place to come up with something that was not done in another version.

Many times just the rhythm section starts the introduction, with a lead line coming in only when the main melody starts.  Intros are usually 4 or 8 bars long. Most introductions end on a V chord to help set up the beginning of the head. There are many ways to construct introductions, and some of the following techniques are often used in combination:

• No intro: just start right in on the song.
  
• Pedal point. Put a series of different chords over a common pedal, usually ending on some form of the V chord.
  
• Use a turnaround to make a 4-bar intro, or put two turnarounds together to make an 8-bar intro.  Since most turnarounds end on V, these formulae work best when the song starts on the I chord.
  
• Use a repeating figure and write "Vamp until ready" over it, indicating that the melody will start on cue. This is used when you want to leave the length of the intro open, for example, to let the leader enter or talk over the introduction for an unspecified amount of time.
  
• Use the last 4 or 8 bars of the tune, which often naturally ends in some sort of turn around to set up the head.
  
• Use an accompaniment figures of the tune or some other characteristic part of the song.
  
• Start off rubato, out of time, or with a series of fermatti.
  
• Buildup: start out with one or two instruments and gradually bring in other instruments.
  
• Compose something entirely new. If you come up with something interesting try to find a way to recycle in the body or ending of the song.  This material can be quite different than the rest of the song, creating a surprise when the introduction is over.
  
• Use a "riff", a motive that may be used underneath the melody when it starts, or used as an interlude between verses.

Turn arounds in major

Most "turn arounds" are two bars long. They usually occur at the end of a tune to prepare for a return to the beginning. Below are a few turn arounds that can take the place of a two-bar tonic/dominant progression. The vertical line represents the bar line between the two bars. Each line can be read straight across horizontally or an alternate path can be followed by taking a slanted line.

The following examples are to replace the plain C - G⁷ progression. You can transpose them to fit other tonalities. Turn arounds in minor keys follow below.

Turn arounds in minor

Below are some turn arounds for minor keys. They may be followed horizontally or the alternate paths indicated by slanted lines.

ii - V - I

In the ii - V - I progression, any ii can be followed by any V. The final I depends on whether you are ending in a major or minor tonic.

Any chord can be played in a number of different inversions. If you transposed these combinations to the other 11 keys and consider all the possibilities of inversions, you will have over 11,000 ways of playing the ii - V - I progression.

Modulation

Starting in any key (represented by the "*"), you can follow any path to get to the final I chord.

Another way to modulate is to use any ii-V-I progression variations shown above, ending in the new key

Endings

There are a number of ways to prolong arriving at the final tonic, in the case below, C major. The horizontal lines represent bar lines.

Another traditional way to end a song is to repeat the last phrase one or two times. On pop records you often hear a section repeated endlessly while it is faded out.

©2001 Robert Willey