So far I’ve featured a ton of licks that sat on the I chord or IV chord of a blues progression, but I hadn’t said much about the all important turnaround. So today, I thought I’d show off a classic Stevie Ray Vaughan blues lick in C on the turnaround. Check out the song at Last.fm at about 0:47 into the first chorus for the lick in real, original audio.

The lick starts with a classic bend on the minor third before outlining a few key pentatonic notes and dropping off with a short slide. Another slide (6/11: filler really) leads into the important chromatic rise to the V chord that outlines the root and the dominant seventh (10th fret notes) of the G7 or V chord. Really just a classic, killer blues lick for a great finish to a chorus.

Eric Clapton is a modern but legendary guitarist with a knack for great blues hooks. While he may have gotten his big name fame with the release of his popular solo album Slowhand; true fans will remember him as the guitarist from the likes of The Yardbirds, Cream, and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.

This little C blues lick is classic Clapton blues shuffle. I emphasize shuffle because it is definitely the key to this lick. For a good example of this lick in use, check out Clapton’s solo in his Freddie King cover of “I’m Tore Down.”