Standards · 1959
So What chords & key
- Key
- D minor
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Up-tempo swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1959
“So What” is a jazz standard by Miles Davis from 1959. Most bands play it in D minor, up-tempo swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. In this atlas it appears in 3 transcribed solos.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — D minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm11×24
- E♭m11×8
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"So What" is the first track on the 1959 album Kind of Blue by American trumpeter Miles Davis. It is one of the best-known examples of modal jazz, set in the Dorian mode and consisting of 16 bars of D Dorian, followed by eight bars of E♭ Dorian and another eight of D Dorian. This AABA structure puts it in the thirty-two-bar format of American popular song. The piano-and-bass introduction for the piece was written by Gil Evans for Bill Evans (no relation) and Paul Chambers on Kind of Blue. An orchestrated version by Gil Evans of this introduction is later to be found on a television broadcast given by Miles's first quintet (minus Cannonball Adderley, who was ill that day) and the Gil Evans Orchestra; the orchestra gave the introduction, after which the quintet played the rest of "So What". The use of the double bass to play the central theme makes the piece unusual.
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Transcribed solos on So What
| Cannonball Adderley alto saxophone | 142 BPM |
| John Coltrane tenor saxophone | 142 BPM |
| Miles Davis trumpet | 139 BPM |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Impressions 100% | D minor |
Frequently asked questions
What key is So What in?
So What is usually played in D minor. For B♭ instruments that is E minor, for E♭ instruments B minor.
Who wrote So What?
So What was written by Miles Davis (1959).
What is the form of So What?
So What has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is So What played?
The usual groove is Up-tempo swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 142 BPM, 142 BPM and 139 BPM.
What are the chord changes to So What?
The opening bars are Dm11 | Dm11 | Dm11 | Dm11. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.