Sue Foley’s five tips for expressive blues guitar playing
When your blues phrases sound crowded or lack contrast, your picking hand and choice of notes may need more attention. Sue Foley’s five tips cover harmony, tone, acoustic technique, persistence and purposeful soloing.
Picking hand tone and purposeful solos
Learn the I, IV and V chords. Study how these chords relate through the Circle of Fifths. Then ask what the blues means to you and what you want your playing to communicate. These three chords can support a personal statement.
Shape tone with your picking hand. Pluck the strings lightly, use more force, then brush them softly. Listen to how the tone changes with each motion. Foley usually plays with her fingers and sometimes adds a removable Golden Gate thumbpick.
Move from electric to acoustic. An acoustic guitar responds differently, so you need to adjust your technique and expectations. Try a thumbpick or play with an open hand, then listen to the tone produced by each finger. A nylon-string acoustic can feel unforgiving, but those techniques can transfer back to electric guitar.
Accept poor first attempts. Unfamiliar material often sounds rough at first. Foley practiced flamenco and classical techniques in small steps. She advises players to continue rather than let fear of failure stop them.
Treat a solo as conversation. Wait for your turn and play a clear statement instead of filling every space. Jimmie Vaughan told Foley to think of solos as short paragraphs in a story. Each phrase then has a purpose.
Leave space when words run out
Foley stops extending a solo when she has nothing meaningful to add. In your next blues solo, finish one clear phrase, pause and listen before answering with another. If no response feels necessary, keep the space.
(Compiled)
