David's Tip of the Day: Handing Over a Solo - No Turnaround

The #1 problem in a jam session is at the point where one soloist is done and the next soloist is to begin, i.e., the passing of solos. Often no signal is given, essentially giving the next soloist the solo after the form has already begun (bar 2 or 3, instead of 1... that throws new players off big time)... or the previous soloist plays right up to the last beat (beat 48... bar 12, beat 4), leaving no room for the next player to play a pickup to lead into their solo. Playing this far can also create rushed handovers of solos.

Here's the solution. At the end of your solo, don't play the turnaround (bars 11 and 12). Not only does this give you time to signal the next soloist that you're done and it's their turn to solo, it gives the next soloist space to use the last bar as a glorious pickup into their solo. This works like magic... give it a try the next time you play.

For the more advanced players who know how to control a band, an even cooler way to approach this is to use a break on bar 12, so there's total silence for the next soloist to play a pickup into their solo.

To learn more about how breaks work, visit the lesson "Performance Training Study 1 - Beginnings, Breaks & Endings" at BluesHarmonica.com. For more information about turnarounds, visit the lesson "Improvising Study 5 - Turnarounds" at BluesHarmonica.com.