So What Chords & Tabs
by Miles Davis
[Content]
"So What" (Miles Davis)--opening "theme"
=========
comp. Miles Davis & Bill Evans (from _Kind_of_Blue_, 1959)
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
e-----------------||----------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
B-----------------||----------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|
G-----------------||o---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
D-----------------||o---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
A----------5-/7---||--5==-----7==---5--|----------5-/7----|--5-------7==---5-|
E--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
e|------------------|---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
B|------------------|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
G|------------------|---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
D|------------------|---------7==---5--|------------------|----------7==---5-|
A|----------5-/7----|-5==-----7==---5--|---5/7--/7--/7-5==|==5==-----7==---5-|
E|--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->]
e|-----------------||-------------------|
B
G|----------------o||-------------------|
D|----------------o||-------------------|
A|----------5-/7---||----------6-/8-----|
E|--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
e|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|------------------|
B|---------9==---7--|------------------|----------9==---7-|------------------|
G|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|------------------|
D|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|------------------|
A|-6==-----8==---6--|----------6-/8----|--6-------8==---6-|----------6-/8----|
E|------------------|--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->]
e|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|-----------------||
B|---------9==---7--|------------------|----------9==---7-|-----------------||
G|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|----------------o||
D|---------8==---6--|------------------|----------8==---6-|----------------o||
A|-6==-----8==---6--|----------6-/8----|--6-------8==---6-|----------5-/7---||
E|------------------|--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::
e-10=====-||------------------|------------------|------------|
B---------||------------------|------10-8----10--|------------|
G---------||--7============---|--10--------------|--7-7=------|
D---------||------------------|------------------|------------|
A---------||------------------|------------------|------------|
E
3 & 4 & 1 2 3 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 &
************************************
| / Slide up
| \ Slide down
************************************
