Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

[phat]

I've been checking out this album recently...and I dunno.. I just find it difficult to even work out the chords by ear wth. i've been playin guitar for quite some time. I can work out most pop songs with ears...but man jazz is just crazy. so can anyone gimme some advice on playin songs "all blues" and "so what"? and can anyone explain to me what makes this album so damn famous? I mean the tunes got stuck to my head the first time i listened, and i thot the solos were simple yet amazing...agree? wrong? just wanna discuss.

further more, i've been pretty stuck on stuff to learn/practice...especially like many other people u know - only knowing how to solo in 1 key and realise i cant solo in jazz. any tips and advice? i've learnt some modes n stuff but really didn't find them that useful...

[masada]

It's the heroin, I tells ya.

[Samuel]

The chords are difficult to work out because it's a loose, early modal group, playing tunes that have slow harmonic rhythms. They are simple progressions, but the playing does not outline them very specifically.

And if you can work out Flamenco Sketches or Blue in Green by ear, then my hat is off to you. Sketches actually modulates every chorus, if I remember correctly.

If you want to learn how to play Jazz, then start learning Jazz language. Licks, transcription, method books, however you want to do it(although almost all the greats learned by transcription). Just learning some modes and stuff through the keys will give you nothing that will get you started on the road (even though any competent musician should know them).

And yeah, Kind of Blue is a great album. It's probably the first one that I really ended up knowing back to front, and I still listen to most of it at least once a week.

[Tillmon]

So What is D7 and Eb7

All Blues is basically just a Gm blues waltz.

[Joseph India]

Here are some chords from So What- I'm sure tillmon meant D MINOR 7
D-7 (dorian) 16 measures
Eb-7 (dorian) 8 measures
D-7 (dorian) 8 measures
thats the form
--
the chords for the theme are
E ---7-----5
B ---8-----6
G ---7-----5
D ---7-----5
A ---7-----5
E ---X-----X
and then move that idea up a fret when it changes to Eb-7 (dorian)

advice: learn music theory if you cant play this song. You'll thank yourself.

[Lydisk]

So What is D7 and Eb7

All Blues is basically just a Gm blues waltz.

So what is Dm7add4 and Ebm7add4

All blues is a Dom7 blues in 6/8

tricky to transcibe...

[Damage]

One thing to always remember about soloing over the Kind of Blue jams is that all the solos are very lyrical. None of them are particularly showy. Lots of times, a relatively simple phrase will be introduced, and then a variation on that phrase will be played.

[Tillmon]

I'm sure tillmon meant D MINOR 7

Yeah I did, you're right... Dm7 and Ebm7

[jake plays guitar]

yeah man its all modal music. consult your local real book for more information.