Miles Davis

[bizzaro]

Anyone know where to find free transcriptions or tab for the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue"? I am trying to learn "So What". All the tab sites I have don't show anything for him.

[Bruce Lindfield]

If you use the search feature, I'm sure that somebody has posted a transcription of the "head" previously on this board - but this is Double Bass we are talking about not BG!

And as for the rest - well it's only 2 chords : Dminor7 and EbMinor7!!

[Boplicity]

Great Mingus quote, Bruce.

[Boplicity]

Bizarro, if you go to the web site I am linking below you will find an extensive analyses of "So What", plus Gifs that when clicked have the sheet music (In standard notation, trebel clef.) This is written for trumpet players, but knowing the bar by bar breakdown and form of the song might be of some help to you in figuring out the bass line.

Also the highy detailed analyses and discussion of the dorian mode may be of assistance to you as well.

http://www.selmer.com/htdox/miles.htm

[JimK]

FWIW Dept-
Here's what I have for PC's first pass, post-head...

Bars 1-4
/D-C-B-Bb-/A-B-C-C#-/D-E-F-G-/E-E-A-C#-/

Bars 5-8
/D-A-D-D#-/EED-C#-A-/DDC-B-Bb-/A-G-E-A-/

Bars 9-12
/D-C-B-F-/E-Bb-A-C#-/D-E-F-G-/A-Bb-C-B-/

Bars13-16
/C..CB-Bb-B-/A-G-F-E-/D-C-B-Bb-/A-C#-D-E-/
(Beat 1 of Bar 13 is a dotted 1/8th + a 1/16th)

Bars17-20 ***KEY CHANGE***
/Eb-G-G#-A-/A#-B-C-D-/Eb-F-Gb-Bb-/C-Bb-F#-D-/

Bars 21-24
/Eb-Db-C-B-/Bb-C-C#-D-/Eb-F-Gb-Bb-/F-E-Eb-A-/

Bars 25-28 ***Key Change***
/D-C-B-Bb-/A-B-C-C#-/D-A-D-D#-/EED-C#-A-/

Bars 29-32
/DDC-B-Bb-/A-G-E-A/D-C-B-Bb-/AAAA-AEEE-/
(Last bar:
Beat 1 is a triplet 1&a...octave used
Beat 2 = a 1/4 note
Beat 3 is a triplet...octave used
Beat 4 = a 1/4 note)

Now that's a GUIDE...you'll have to decide what strings are being played & how much "swing" to employ on the 1/4 notes.
Hint: Try ghosted notes &/or the OPEN strings as an assist to change positions(also, the OPEN strings may be ghosted/muted)...what ever you do, keep the forward momentum & swing action happenin'.

[bizzaro]

Thanks for the info to all. I did figure out the key and changes but was hoping for a bass transcription note for note or a facsimile.Thanks JimK for taking the time to write me yours. I am stuck in a rock band, but my heart is in jazz and I love the flow of this song. And with just two scale changes I felt it was a good place to start. I somehow stumbled on the site which analyzes the song while surfing the web once before. While it is a little over my head, it's always nice to know it is available.---Thanks Again.----BIZZ

[Boplicity]

Jim K, thanks for taking the time to do that. I'm printing it out.

[JimK]

Originally posted by bizzaro
Thanks for the info to all. I did figure out the key and changes but was hoping for a bass transcription note for note or a facsimile.

...somebody out there might have the whole tune charted out; IMO(& mainly 'cause I'm lazy), that's not the point. No way PC plays "So What" the same each time. While it would be productive to sit down & transribe each note "perfectly", it's also productive to make up your own lines over the changes to "So What". Really, PC doesn't deviate a whole lot from what I attempted to show in the above example.
Hope you noticed the chromatic passing tones(like in bars 9-10)...the note directly above/below is played on the 1/4 note leading into the "target" note.
BTW, if you like "So What", check out "Impressions" by John Coltrane!

...and one of my favorite versions of "So What" is found on the Miles Davis double-cd, The Complete Concert 1964...it's Miles' 2nd "great" 5-tet(sorta: George Coleman on sax, not Wayne Shorter)...Tony Williams takes the tune up a notch or two; the tempo is soaring!

[bizzaro]

JimK,
What you gave me was perfect. I just wrote an articulate and insightful response to your last thread and went to do a spell check and WHAM!!! It disappeared. So this is what you get. Hey what is "BTW". And I have "Impressions" from a Jamey Aebersold rag and companion CD. I will put your transcription to good use. It provides me with the foundation I need.
Thanks Again,
bizzaro

[Bassin']

Here is another sight that has a lot of transcriptions including "So What." It's in German but isn't too tough to navigate through.

http://www.e-bass.ch.vu/

[JimK]

I listened to "So What" from Kind Of Blue today; my little line above IS NOT PC's 1st pass.
Hmmm....I'm not really sure where I got that line(My notes are old & ASSumed it was from the 'original' version. Guess not).

Here's a little more from my 'bogus' notes(circa late '70s)

/D-C-B-Bb-/A-G-F-A-/D-E-F-F#-/G-G#-A-C#-/

/D-D-C-Bb-/B-Bb-A-A-/D-C-B-Bb-/A-B-C-C#-/

/D-A-E-Eb-/D-C-B-Bb-/A-G-Gb-F-/E-Eb-D-C-/

/B-Bb-A-G-/Gb-F-E-A-/D-E-F-A-/G-F-E-A/

to Ebm7(etc...)


Biz-
BTW = "By the way"