![]() ![]() In the first chord of Em11, we have the root note (E) followed by its perfect 4th (A), which is then followed by its perfect 4th (D), then by another perfect 4th (G) and finally with a major third on top (B). Rather than thinking in terms of more traditional harmony, the unusual Em11 and Dm11 chords have been built by stacking intervals from D Dorian on top of each other. The chords are also constructed using the modal concept. As you can see, we have a strong Dorian melody here which fits perfectly into the notes of the mode. It then hits the minor 7 (C) before returning to the root note, before moving up to the major 2nd (E), back to the minor 7 and finally resolving back to the root. In fact, the bass melody makes use of this in the first two bars, starting on the root note (D) before moving up to the 5th (A) before making use of that major 6th (B). ![]() The major 6th in particular is what gives Dorian its unique “sweet” sound. It contains the notes D, E, F, G, A, B & C, which are the root, major 2nd, minor 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, major 6th and minor 7th respectfully. “So What” is written in D Dorian, which is the second mode of the C Major scale. In fact, what makes “Kind Of Blue” such a landmark record, is Miles Davis’ focus on modal compositions instead of the hard bop style of his earlier work. “So What” is one of the best examples of modal jazz. ![]() However, it is still possible to learn all of the parts featured in “So What” on our chosen instrument, and there are many covers of this classic tune from a number of guitarists, with Ronny Jordan’s 1992 recording being perhaps the best known example. Having listed the musicians above, you may notice the lack of a guitar player to be a slight issue in a jazz guitar lesson. “Kind Of Blue” also features an all star cast of musicians, with many considering the quintet of Davis on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums to be the finest ever assembled. “So What” is the first song featured on Miles Davis’ 1959 classic record “Kind Of Blue”, which is largely considered to be the greatest jazz album of all time, as well as one of the greatest albums ever recorded. It’s been a little while since I last posted up a free jazz guitar lesson, so I thought it would be appropriate to cover the first jazz song I learnt to play all the way through. ![]()
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