How to Play Turn the Page Chords by Bob Seger on Guitar
“Turn the Page” is a classic rock song by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, released in 1973. The song is about the life of a touring musician, facing loneliness, boredom, and criticism. The song features a distinctive saxophone riff by Alto Reed, which adds to the melancholic mood of the song.
If you want to learn how to play “Turn the Page” on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and how to play the saxophone riff on guitar. Here are some tips and resources to help you master this song.
Chords
The song is in the key of E minor, and uses only five chords: Em, D, A, C, and Dsus2. You can play these chords with or without a capo, depending on your preference. Here are the chord diagrams for each chord:
"Turn The Page" Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band The Silver Bullet Band uses something like a suspended strumming style for this song, they sort of pick through the chords. If you listen to the song, you can pick it up easily. [Saxophone Riff] e|---/15--14----10--------------|-------15--14----10---------------------------------| B|--------------------10--12----|10/12----------------10--12-------------------------| G|------------------------------|-----------------------------12-\11--\9-\7----------| D|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------7-/9----| A|------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| [Verse 1] Em On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha D You can listen to the engine moanin' out it's one note song A Em You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before Em But your thoughts will soon be wandering the way they always do D When you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing much to do A Em And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through Mmmm [Chorus] Em D Em Say, here I am, on the road again D Em There I am, up on the stage D A Here I go, playing star again C D Em There I go, turn the page, ah [Verse 2] Em Well, you walk into a restaurant, strung out from the road D And you feel the eyes upon you as you're shaking off the cold A Em You pretend it doesn't bother you but you just want to explode Em Most times you can't hear 'em talk, other times you can D All the same old clichés: "Is that a woman or a man?" A Em And you always seem outnumbered, you don't dare make a stand [Chorus] Em D Em Here I am, on the road again D Em There I am, up on the stage D A Here I go, playing star again C D Em There I go, turn the page, ah [Bridge] Em Out there in the spotlight you're a million miles away D Every ounce of energy you try to give away A Em As the sweat pours out your body like the music that you play [Saxophone Riff] e|---/15--14----10-----------------------| B|--------------------10--12----10/12----| G|---------------------------------------| D|---------------------------------------| A|---------------------------------------| E|---------------------------------------| [Verse 3] (slightly muted chords, strum once for the quiet part) Em Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed D With the echoes from the amplifiers ringin' in your head A Em You smoke the day's last cigarette, remembering what she said [Chorus] Em D Em Ah, here I am, on the road again D Em There I am, up on the stage D A Here I go, playing star again C D Em There I go, turn the page Em D Em Ah, here I am, on the road again D Em There I am, up on the stage D A Here I go, playing star again C D Em There I go, there I go [Saxophone Riff] e|---/15--14----10--------------|-------15--14----10---------------------------------| B|--------------------10--12----|10/12----------------10--12-------------------------| G|------------------------------|-----------------------------12-\11--\9-\7----------| D|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------7-/9----| A|------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| ************************************ | / Slide up | \ Slide down ************************************
Strumming
The strumming pattern for this song is fairly simple and consistent throughout. You can use a down-up-down-up pattern for each chord, with some accents on the first and third beats. For example:
Em: D U D U | D U D U | D: D U D U | D U D U |
You can also add some palm muting or dynamics to create some contrast between the verses and the chorus.
Saxophone Riff
The most recognizable part of the song is the saxophone riff played by Alto Reed. You can play this riff on guitar using some slides and bends. Here is the tab for the riff:
e|—/15–14—-10————–|——-15–14—-10———————————| B|——————–10–12—-|10/12—————-10–12————————-| G|——————————|—————————–12-\11–\9-\7———-| D|——————————|——————————————–7-/9—-| A|——————————|—————————————————-| E|——————————|—————————————————-|
You can play this riff at the beginning, after the first chorus, and at the end of the song.
Conclusion
“Turn the Page” is a great song to learn on guitar, as it has a simple chord progression, a catchy strumming pattern, and a memorable saxophone riff. You can use the resources above to learn how to play this song, or you can check out some online tutorials or videos for more guidance. Have fun playing this song and remember to turn the page!
