Standards · 1958
Milestones (Old) chords & key
- Key
- B♭ major
- Form
- ABBA
- Bars
- 40
- Groove
- Medium-up swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1958
“Milestones (Old)” is a jazz standard by Miles Davis from 1958. Most bands play it in B♭ major, medium-up swing; the tune runs 40 bars in ABBA form. Harmonically it contains 9 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 19 different chords and moves between the key centres B♭ major, A♭ major, G major and A minor. In this atlas it appears in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Cm7×10
- F7×7
- B♭maj7×7
- E♭7×5
- Bm7×5
- D♭m7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
B♭ major, A♭ major, G major and A minor
History
"Milestones" is a jazz composition written by Miles Davis. It appears on the album of the same name in 1958. It has since become a jazz standard. "Milestones" is the first example of Miles composing in a modal style and experimentation in this piece led to the writing of "So What" from the 1959 album Kind of Blue. The song's modes consist of G Dorian for 16 bars, A Aeolian for another 16 bars, and then back to G Dorian for the last eight bars, then the progression repeats. Originally titled "Miles" on the initial album pressings, people soon began referring to the piece as "Milestones" rather than "Miles". On later editions of the album the title was changed. The musicians who performed on "Milestones" are: Miles Davis – trumpet Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone John Coltrane – tenor saxophone Red Garland – piano Paul Chambers – double bass Philly Joe Jones – drums Only Adderley, Davis, and Coltrane solo.
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Transcribed solos on Milestones (Old)
| David Liebman soprano saxophone | 312 BPM |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Milestones (Old) in?
Milestones (Old) is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote Milestones (Old)?
Milestones (Old) was written by Miles Davis (1958).
What is the form of Milestones (Old)?
Milestones (Old) has 4 sections (ABBA) with 40 bars in total.
How fast is Milestones (Old) played?
The usual groove is Medium-up swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 312 BPM.
What are the chord changes to Milestones (Old)?
The opening bars are Fmaj7 | Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Dbm7 Gb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.