Common Endings and the Basic Turnaround
In this 5 minute masterclass we’re going talk about a few of the most common endings in jazz music. When we are in a situation like a jam session or a gig, it’s good to know few common ways to end the tune.
The Basic 251 Ending
First we will talk about the basic 251 ending and how it is commonly used to end a tune. The 251 ending is found in the majority of jazz standards written in both major and minor keys.
To make an outro, we can play the 2 & 5 chords, but instead of going to 1 chords, we would play the 3 half diminished chord, then 6 dominant chord which takes us back to 2, then 5, and again 3 instead of 1. We can repeat this cycle as long as necessary, maybe have a little collective solo over it, until we cue the actual ending with the rest of the band.
Useful Jazz Endings To Know
We will explore a few traditional endings in major key that are commonly used when playing with other jazz musicians.
First, we will look at an ending I call the ‘Miles Davis ending’. You can hear this for example on Miles’ version of “Bye Bye Blackbird” on a 1957 record “Round About Midnight”.
We will then explore the so called ‘Take The A Train ending’, and finally the the ‘basic blues ending’, which can be useful in many situations
There are two basic ways to build a blues ending, bass ascending and melody descending or bass descending and melody ascending. We will demonstrate both in this lesson.
Lesson Downloads
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Lesson Notation Supplement File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
In this lesson we explore the 1625 progression and it’s variations to create and intro and outro for the tune “Blue Moon” by Richard Rodgers.
Intros can be useful to extend the length of your performance and also to establish the tonality or the key in which the tune is being played.
Most jazz standards that you come across will contain a 251 progression in some form so it is essential that you know how to construct the 251.
Practice Tips
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Learn and memorise these common jazz endings that are used frequently when playing in an ensemble setting.
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Check out the related lessons above for information on the 1625 turnaround.
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Practice using these endings with every new tune that you learn.
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Remember to listen to recordings and analyse the endings of your favourite players.
So very useful. Thank you Tuomo.
Tuomo, I really enjoyed this – and would love to watch it again so I can play along to it! Will definitely come back to ask some questions too! Thank You. – Kristeta
Thank you, I’m really glad you enjoyed the class!
I’m happy to help if you have any questions/ideas on the topic!
Keep up the good work 🙂
-Tuomo