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So What

Miles Davis

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
From: tgannon@charlie.usd.edu (spideir)

 "So What" (Miles Davis)--opening "theme"
 =========
 -- comp. Miles Davis & Bill Evans (from _Kind_of_Blue_, 1959)
   -- guitar arr., tcg, '8?, '94
   -- 4/4 // Keys: Dm; Ebm // Allegro
                                                     __3__
   -- eighth notes (1 &) are "swing" 8ths: closer to 1 & & . . . .
                                                     DAH duh
   -- what follows is the opening of the tune (after some Debussy-esque
       ad-lib piano diddling by Evans), apparently the only pre-composed
       part of the song; it's a neat interplay of bluesy bass and quartal
       piano chords, both integrated into the following guitar "arrangement":

 Form (32-bar): ||: A (8 measures) - A (8) - B (8) - A (8) :||

 {pick-up measure}  A::    Em7/11 Dm7/11                         Em7/11 Dm7/11
 -----------------||----------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 -----------------||----------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|
 -----------------||o---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 -----------------||o---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 ----------5-/7---||--5==-----7==---5--|----------5-/7----|--5-------7==---5-|
 --3/5-7-8------8-||-------------------|--3/5-7-8------8--|----5==-----------|
 1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &     1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &     1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

                           Em7/11 Dm7/11                         Em7/11 Dm7/11
 |------------------|---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 |------------------|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 |------------------|---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 |------------------|---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
 |----------5-/7----|-5==-----7==---5--|---5/7--/7--/7-5==|==5==-----7==---5-|
 |--3/5-7-8------8--|------------------|------------------|------------------|
  1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &    1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &    1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &     1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

  __________________ __________________
 | 1.     [repeat A]| 2.       [to B->]
 |-----------------||-------------------|
 |-----------------||-------------------|
 |----------------o||-------------------|
 |----------------o||-------------------|
 |----------5-/7---||----------6-/8-----|
 |--3/5-7-8------8-||--4/6-8-9------9---|
  1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &   1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &

 B::    Fm7/11 Ebm7/11                        Fm7/11 Ebm7/11
 |---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|------------------|
 |---------9==---7--|------------------|----------9==---7-|------------------|
 |---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|------------------|
 |---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|------------------|
 |-6==-----8==---6--|----------6-/8----|--6-------8==---6-|----------6-/8----|
 |------------------|--4/6-8-9------9--|----6==-----------|--4/6-8-9------9--|
   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &     1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &  1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &

        Fm7/11 Ebm7/11                        Fm7/11 Ebm7/11          [to A->]
 |---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|-----------------||
 |---------9==---7--|------------------|----------9==---7-|-----------------||
 |---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|----------------o||
 |---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|----------------o||
 |-6==-----8==---6--|----------6-/8----|--6-------8==---6-|----------5-/7---||
 |------------------|--4/6-8-9------9--|----6==-----------|--3/5-7-8------8-||
   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &     1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &  1 & 2 & 3 &  4 &

 --------------------------------------------------------------|
 ... rest of tune a free-form improv over the same A-A-B-A 32--|bar form: two
 8-bar sections ("A-A") of Dm dorian, 8 bars of Ebm dorian ("B"), and 8 more
 bars ("A") of Dm dorian. The bass starts "walking," the piano comps/
 ad-libs quartal-modal chord voicings, and Miles & the other horn players
 take leads in Dm & Ebm Dorian. (Dorian in Dm: d-e-f-g-a-b-c-d; Eb Dorian
 a half-step higher). . . . Here's the start of Miles' lead, to give you a
 better idea (note that the D dorian scale "fits" whether the chord is Dm7/11
 or Em7/11: both consist of notes from this very scale)--

 {pick-up}  A::
 -10=====-||------------------|------------------|------------|
 ---------||------------------|------10-8----10--|------------|
 ---------||--7============---|--10--------------|--7-7=------|
 ---------||------------------|------------------|------------|
 ---------||------------------|------------------|------------|
 ---------||------------------|------------------|------------|
  3 & 4 &     1   2   3   4     1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &     1 & 2 &


   |
 --:--tcg
   )