transcriptions - so what ~ tune & miles' solo - submitted by edbyrne

8/11/2019 Transcriptions - So What ~ Tune & Miles' Solo - submitted by EdByrne

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Transcriptions So What~ Tune & Miles' Solo

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EdByrne

[email protected]

www.byrnejazz.com

So What~ Tune & Miles' Solo

submitted:

2008/11/06 10:00:58

revised:

2010/07/21 14:12:06

Since some here found my analysis of Miles Davis's "Circle" useful, I am posting my analysis of "So What," excerpted

from the same book,The Influence of Claude Debussy's and Maurice Ravel's Music on Jazz, as Seen in the

Compositions of Bix Beiderbecke, Bill Evans and Miles Davis, by Ed Byrne ( Ed Byrne 1998) .

Analysis of So What, both the exposition and Daviss trumpet improvisation, will be drawn from my own transcriptions.

So What is based on the dorian mode, reflecting its presence in RavelsConcerto for the Left Hand, as we shall see

below.14 D and Eb, respectively, are established as priority notes by their prominent placement in the double-bass

melody, and they are both approached from below by a note at the interval of a 5.

A modal transposition can be found moving up a semitone from D dorian to Eb dorian for the eight-measure B section of

this AABA recurring form at measure 17 of the exposition, before returning back down a semitone to D dorian for the last

eight measures, at measure 25 (Example 3a).

In addition to modal transposition, Davis, in his trumpet improvisation, creates a brief pc mixture in measures 24 and 62.

In anticipating the modal transposition back to D d orian at two beats before 25 , he plays a pc comprised of G, A C# and

D, rather than playing the expected C of the D dorian mode (Example 3b). These examples could also be viewed as

chromatic enhancements in the form of added leading-tones that help to emphasize the D and Eb priority notes.

A non-functional chord succession is present in the form of two chords that oscillate throughout the D dorian A sections,

modulated up a semitone for the B sections, and back down for the last eight-measure A section (Example 3a). Similar to

the frequent avoidance of reso lving the leading-tone in cadences in RavelsConcerto, which we will examine below,

avoidance of resolution of the leading-tone in Daviss So What is also evident: it contains no cadences whatsoever.

A similarity between So What and RavelsDaphnis and Chloeis the presence of vertical quartal harmony. Beginning on

beat three of measure 1 of the exposition of So What, pianist Evans repeated ly plays a quartal voicing that jazz

musicians now call the "So What Voicing (Example 3a). Quartal harmonies oscillate throughout So What.

Unresolved melodic tensions are present in Daviss trumpet improvisation on So What. He sustains an E, the ninth of the

D dorian mode, on beats two and three of measure 14, and in measures 33-35 (Example 3b). He plays elevenths, Gs, in

measures 2, 11, 15, and elsewhere; and unresolved melodic thirteenths, Cs, can be seen in measures 24, 54 and 55 of

the Eb dorian B sections.

Through his use of modes in So What, Davis realizes his desire to be free to concentrate on melodic improvisation. He is

no longer obliged to constantly adapt his lines to chord progressions, which often contain harmonic clichs that force the

improviser into playing melodic formulas. Like Evanss Peace Piece, Daviss So What is based on a static background

of two oscillating chords. The two pieces differ, however, in that So What is based on the traditional AABA recurring form

while remaining mostly diatonic to a dorian mode throughout.

Through modal transposition, Davis is able to give the piece periodic lifts in color and tension levels. Pc mixture and

chromatic enhancement provide Davis additional pitch classes with which to add melodic interest and forward motion to

his trumpet solo. The presence of parallel quartal harmony (not a commonplace in jazz in 1959) and unresolved melodic

and harmonic tensions also help to endow So What with a sense of unhurried, thoughtful charm.

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jay norem Re:So What~ Tune & Miles' Solo

submitted:

2008/11/06 13:45:17

revised:

2008/11/06 13:45:17

A beautiful analysis, Ed. Great work!

77


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EdByrne

[email protected]

www.byrnejazz.com

Re:So What~ Tune & Miles' Solo

submitted:

2008/11/07 08:40:09

revised:

2008/11/07 08:40:09

Thank you, Jay.

Ed

EdByrne

[email protected]

www.byrnejazz.com

Soloing

submitted:

2008/11/11 10:33:01

revised:

2008/11/12 08:51:57

Excerpted from Speaking of Jazz: Essays and Attitudes:


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jazzgui tar391 Re:So What~ Tune & Miles' Solo

submitted:

2010/07/03 23:11:57

revised:

2010/07/03 23:11:57

Most of the time you hit the nail on the head Ed, but your transcirption and analysis of so what couldn't be any more

flawed. The main complaint is the me lodic line played by the bass. The notes are simply way off the mark. Doesn't even

sound like So What. I have seen many charts for this tune, all contradict each other. My version is better, and isn't the first

note in the bass a D natural, followed by A,B,C,D,E,C,D. then the punches. the notes you have are bizarre.

bgp

[email protected]

www.freejazzinstitute.org


submitted:

2010/07/04 04:50:29

revised:

2010/07/04 04:50:29

welcome to the site 391, p lease do share your alternate transcription and analysis to support your position (as you didn't

actually address the analysis in your comment). in the meantime, try playing Ed's chart up a 4th, and see if you might

really just have a question about transposition.


submitted:

2010/07/07 00:12:05

revised:

2010/07/07 00:12:05

It is simplistic to view So What merely as Dorian.

So What

In improvising on So What, begin with the melody, which is in the bassIt is comprised of the following melody pitch collection: D, E, F, G, A, apentachord. In addition, its salient intervals (gestures) are perfect fourths (and down), down a major third, and stepwise diatonic movement up a

perfect fourth. On measure seventeen, the A section is transposed up a halstep for eight measures, which serves as a bridge. There are also rhythmicmotives that can be mined, such as the Charleston Rhythm beginning on bthree of the horn response to the bass line. Develop these. The players on

Daviss recording seem to treat this piece merely as a traditional D minor(especially Paul Chambers on double bassbut not pianist Bill Evans), on

sans a chord progression in favor of an oscillation between two modifiedquartal voicings; and they pepper it with the normal chromatic non-harmotones (especially saxophonist Cannonball Adderly).

Using quar tal harmony (voicings in fourths) for comping on So What ithe norm. The So What voicing is a modified voicing in fourths, with a thir

between the top two voices constituting the modified. The voicing appearstwo voicings that oscillate between the first (B, G, D, A, Efrom the topdown) and the second (A, F, C, G, D). (While chords are properly spelledfrom the bottom up, voicings are spelled from the lead down.) The So Whvoicing can be planed, moved up and down the D Dorian (C major) scale isimilar motion (there are two ways of planeing: diatonicas in this case

and chromatic, in which you keep all of the same exact intervals whileplaneing). You could also plane a first inversion triad up and down the scato good effect, for example: F, D, and A up to G, E, and B, and so on.

In soloing on So What, it is a bit simplistic to view this merely as DDorian, as novices do. Miles Davis and his sidemen did not limit themselv

to a seven-note scale, since the entire chromatic scale is available. Practicevamping on D minor with a metronome with all its implied scales: melodi


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Perhaps you should re-read my comment bpg. I did certainly address the analysis of this transcription, and I most

certainly did play the chart up a 4th. I simply don't care for it. As for posting my analysis and transcription of the chart, I

don't need to, maybe you should look it up yourself and simply play the tune correctly. Also thank you, but no, I d on't have

any questions on transposition since I already have a thorough knowledge of the subject thank you very much. Perhaps

you are having difficulty in playing this modal masterpiece using the proper melodic content already provided. Thanks for

welcoming me to the site, and have enjoyed the transcriptions so far. Especially Porkpie Hat.

engelbach

www.engelbachmusic.comRe:So What~ Tune & Miles' Solo

submitted:

2010/07/11 12:24:53

revised:

2010/07/11 12:27:19

It's obvious that somehow the bass line was transposed down a fourth, which Ed either did unconsciously or copied from

somewhere else, since his focus was really on Miles' solo.

If you had pointed it ou t to him at the time, knowing Ed, I'm sure he would have acknowledged the mistake and corrected

it. The nasty tone was unnecessary, both to Ed and BGP.

Unfortunately, Ed has been off this site and All About Jazz since the middle of 2009 and shows no sign of returning, so the

complaint is falling on absent ears.


submitted:

2010/07/20 04:07:12

revised:

2010/07/20 04:07:12

what was unnecessary was such a poor off the wall transcription. my "nasty tone" as you put it was not particularly

directed towards Ed, but mainly at BPG. If you take the time to re read my comments, Ed did an excellent analysis and

transcription on Porkpie Hat. Where as Bpg 's "nasty Tone" is what was unnecessasry, to imply I "have a question about

transposition" was quite insulting. I think from time to time some criticism is necessary to correct such blatant transcription

miscalculations. Rather than take it personally, try transcribing the melody correctly in the first place.

bgp

[email protected]

www.freejazzinstitute.org


submitted:

2010/07/21 14:12:06

revised:

2010/07/21 14:12:06

Sorry to have offended you 391, I only mentioned transposition because the officially released transcription and Ed's are

identical except for transposition. If you hear something e lse, please share it, that would be the preferred way to handle

things here.

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bgp 20131026

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transcriptions - so what ~ tune & miles' solo - submitted by edbyrne

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