So What Walking Bass Line
So What opens Miles Davis's 1959 album Kind of Blue, and it's one of the best-known examples of modal jazz. The form is 32 bars with only two chords: 16 bars of D Dorian, 8 bars of E-flat Dorian, then 8 more of D. It's also unusual because the bass plays the melody, with Paul Chambers stating the theme on the record. With no ii-Vs pulling you along, a walking line has to make its own motion. Below you'll find the form, a walking line and three recordings to study.
Turn the bass off and it's your gig: the piano and drums keep going and you walk the line. The band counts you in with one bar of hi-hat.
Recorded upright bass, grand piano and a jazz drum kit play the line. Tab is for 4-string bass in standard tuning.
The changes
The changes don't vary: 16 bars of D minor, 8 bars of E-flat minor, 8 bars of D minor. Charts only disagree on how to write the chord. iReal Pro and Jazzadvice write Dm11 and Ebm11, and Learn Jazz Standards writes D-7 and Eb-7. It's the same Dorian sound either way. We write Dm7 and Ebm7 so the chord tones you're aiming for on beats 1 and 3 are easy to see.
How this line works
- The root lands on beat 1 of 14 of the 32 chord changes, so the harmony is clear. The rest start on the 3rd or 5th, which keeps the line from sounding like a list of roots.
- 29 of the 31 chord changes are approached by a half step or a whole step, so every new chord arrives smoothly instead of by a jump.
- Non-chord tones sit on the weak beats: 31 on beat 2 and 20 on beat 4. That's where passing and chromatic notes sound intentional instead of wrong.
- No note repeats back to back. A repeated note is the quickest way to make a walking line sound stiff.
What So What teaches you
- Walking without ii-Vs: Dm7 lasts 16 bars. Aim for a chord tone (D, F, A or C) on beats 1 and 3, then use the rest of D Dorian and chromatic approach notes on beats 2 and 4 to set up the next target.
- B natural is what makes it Dorian. It's the major sixth over D, where D natural minor has B-flat. It isn't a chord tone of Dm7, so it lives on beats 2 and 4.
- The bridge is the same sound a half step up: 8 bars of Ebm7 (E-flat Dorian). Approach it by a half step, from D below or E above, and everyone hears the key change.
- Keeping your place: with no chord changes to lean on, it's easy to lose the form. Count in 8-bar phrases and change register or direction at the top of each one.
- The same form works for more than one tune. John Coltrane's Impressions uses exactly the same chords: 16 bars of D Dorian, 8 of E-flat Dorian, 8 of D Dorian.
How to practice it
- Hear the form first. Turn the bass off and play just the root of each chord along with the band until you never lose your place.
- Read the line slowly. Set the tempo around 80 and play the written line with the drums. Slow is the fast way here.
- Loop the hard spots. Turn on Loop, find the four bars that trip you up, and play them until they feel like the easy ones.
- Make it yours. Keep beat 1 of every bar, but change the approach note on beat 4. A half step above, a half step below, a whole step: each one changes the color of the arrival.
- Play it with the record. Put on one of the versions below and play along. That's where the time feel gets into your hands.
Want to build your own lines on these changes? Try the free Walking Line Builder and practice with the click on 2 and 4.
Recordings to hear
- Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (1959), with Paul Chambers on bass.
- Miles Davis, Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1962), with Paul Chambers on bass.
- Miles Davis, Four & More (1966), with Ron Carter on bass.
So What: questions
What key is So What in?
D minor, or more exactly D Dorian, for the A sections, and E-flat Dorian for the bridge. Charts write the chords as Dm7 or Dm11 and Ebm7 or Ebm11.
What's the form of So What?
It's 32 bars, AABA: 8 bars of D Dorian played twice, an 8-bar bridge in E-flat Dorian, and a last 8 bars of D Dorian.
How fast is So What?
The Kind of Blue take is about 136 bpm. Charts mark it up tempo, and the 1964 live version on Four & More is faster. Learn the line around the record's tempo first, since the hard part is keeping the line interesting, not keeping up.
Your next step
This page gives you one line to study. These courses teach you to build your own, on the bass you play.
The 7-Day Walking Bass Breakthrough
Cole DavisWalk through any jazz tune with lines that move, swing, and never repeat themselves.
- Walk through any ii-V-I, major or minor.
- Solve the two-bar problem on static modal tunes.
- Never repeat yourself two bars in a row.
Walking Basslines on Upright Bass from the Beginning
Cole DavisFive lessons from “my walking lines don't sound like the records” to professional-grade walking.
- The chord first: the 1-3-5-7, where every great bass line starts.
- The master move: changing the order of the notes, bar by bar, on an F blues.
- The three questions every bass line has to pass, then the whole method on Autumn Leaves.
Not sure which course fits? Answer a few questions and we'll point you to one.