"Mind Your Own Business"

Mind Your Own Business

by Magic Slim and The Teardrops, from "The Essential Magic Slim"
© Trevor Dimoff 2017
trevordimoff@gmail.com 
Elemental Blues is a simplified blues song structure, in the same way that elemental off arrangements present specific musical elements so they are accessible to children. It is 12 bars, broken into 3 phrases, that typically follow AAB format. A is usually a statement, while B is the conclusion. Blues was originally the musical expression of the Afro-American experiences of oppression, marginalization, poverty, prejudice, slavery and segregation. The musical roots draw from African vocal traditions, Spirituals, and Work Songs. 

Mind Your Own Business (A minor)
Mind your own business, leave myself alone
Mind your own business, leave myself alone
You can't mind your own business, get you some business of your own

Mind your own business, it's all that you got left
Mind your own business, it's all that you got left
​If you mind your own business, you're doing something for yourself

Mind your own business, (Mind your own business) x2
Mind your own business, (Mind your own business) x2
​You can't mind your own business, leave myself alone


​
Learning the chord progression with body percussion:
Elemental Blues Chord Progression: Mind Your Own Business (A minor)
I = A
I = A
I = A
I = A
IV = D
IV = D
I = A
I = A
V = E
V = E
I = A
I = A

​Body Percussion:
A: I (tonic) - pat
D: IV (subdominant) - clap
E:  m V (dominant) - partner clap
​


​Transferring it to the barred instruments:
Bass Line: (root, skip, step, step)
A C D E
A C D E
A C D E
A C D E
D F G A
D F G A
A C D E
A C D E
E G A B
E G B A
A C D E
A C D E

​
​Alto Line: (triads, altos play top two pitches of each chord)
E
C
A
E
C
A
E
C
A
E
C
A
A
F
D
A
F
D
E
C
A
E
C
A
B
G
​E
B
G
​E
E
C
A
E
C
A


​Soprano Line: Improvise


​The final product: Putting it all together!