"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

   )