Real World Dobro - Mind Your Own Business

Although this is a familiar Hank Williams tune, the purpose of this lesson is to learn the 12-bar blues progression. Countless songs are based on this form, and "Mind Your Own Business" is one of them!

This is a 12-bar blues in E. The form of the song is 12 measures (bars) long, and repeats. You don't need to remember if you're playing a verse or a chorus, the 12-bar form stays the same throughout the song. The intro is played over the last 4 bars of the form (starting on the B7 in measure 9), and then you repeat all 12-bars the rest of the way.

There are many variations on the 12-bar blues form, but there will always be 12 measures, and the chords will be similar to this song. The most common variations are during the last 4 bars. If someone calls off a "12-bar" at a jam, don't be suprised if the chords are slightly different.

When soloing over a 12-bar blues, you can use the blues scale! You can still mix in licks based on the individual chords, but the E blues scale will work throughout the form. I've included TAB for the E blues scale along with a sample solo to get you started. When you learn to solo with the blues scale, you can inject a little blues into any song!

Thanks to Zak Bunce for his fantastic vocals!

Watch the video for ideas, but the best practice will be with the play-along track.