Robben Ford Talk to Your Daughter Guitar Solo TAB

“Talk to Your Daughter” is the title track from Robben Ford’s 1988 album — a burning blues shuffle and the record that established him as one of the most sophisticated blues guitarists alive. The solo is a masterclass in blues phrasing with a jazz player’s ear: smooth, vocal, and full of taste.

About the Solo

Robben Ford built his sound by running traditional blues through a deep harmonic vocabulary and that unmistakable Dumble-style tone. This solo lives on a dominant blues shuffle, but Ford colors it with chromatic passing notes, dominant-scale lines, and beautifully placed “outside” notes that always resolve. The phrasing is conversational and the touch is everything — it’s a study in saying more with fewer, better notes.

What You Will Work On

• Dominant blues phrasing — mixing the blues scale with mixolydian and dominant-scale lines
• Chromatic passing notes — Ford’s signature jazz-into-blues approach
• Expressive bends and vibrato — vocal, controlled, perfectly in tune
• Phrasing over a shuffle — placing notes with a relaxed, swinging feel
• Touch and dynamics — using pick attack and volume to shape every phrase

Tips for Learning This Solo

• Learn the chord changes first — Ford’s note choices only make sense over the harmony.
• Sing or hum the phrases before playing them to capture the vocal feel.
• Slow the bends down until they land perfectly in tune, then bring them up to tempo.
• Study Robben Ford’s recordings and live versions to absorb his phrasing and tone.