Ronny Jordan’s acid-jazz cover of So What (Miles Davis) was the first single of the late English jazz guitarist. His version was released in 1992 on his debut album, The Antidote, and it became a worldwide hit.
In this jazz guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play Ronny Jordan’s version of So What. We’ll cover the melody and the first two guitar licks from his solo.
You’ll also learn the Dorian mode fingerings used in the melody and solo.
This lesson is a great way to study modal jazz guitar and soul jazz phrasing.
If you want to learn more jazz guitar patterns like the ones in the solos below, check out our course Jazz Guitar Patterns & Phrases Volume 1.
Download the PDF, backing track, and audio with JGO+ (Click here to join)
So What – Video
Harmonic Analysis
So What is the first track on Miles Davis‘s album Kind of Blue, released in 1959. This iconic album was a turning point in jazz, moving away from complex chord progressions to modal jazz, which focuses on scales (modes) instead of chord changes.
Each song on Kind of Blue was composed using a specific mode. For So What, that mode is the Dorian mode.
So What follows a classic AABA form:
- The identical A sections are in D minor and their melody is built on the D Dorian mode.
- The B section moves to Eb minor and uses the Eb Dorian mode, which is a half step higher than the A sections.
This type of modal harmony is great for developing phrasing, tone, and space in your improvisation.
Playing the D Dorian Mode on Guitar
The D Dorian mode is the second mode you get from the C major scale.
It uses the same notes as the C major scale, but D is the main note and tonal center instead of C
The Dorian mode stands out because it has a natural 6th note. For D Dorian, that note is B. Most other minor scales, except the melodic minor, use a flat 6th instead.
| C Major Scale | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| D Dorian Mode | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| Formula | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 |
| D Natural Minor | D | E | F | G | A | Bb | C |
| Formula | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 |
Here are the two most common ways to play the D Dorian mode on guitar:
The Eb Dorian Mode
The Eb Dorian mode is the second mode of the Db major scale, a half-tone higher than the D Dorian mode and C major scale.
It uses the same notes as the Db major scale, but its tonal center is Eb.
| Db Major | Db | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Eb Dorian | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | C | Db |
| Formula | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 |
| Eb Minor | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | Cb | Db |
| Formula | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 |
Below are the two most common ways to play the Eb Dorian mode on guitar:
So What – Backing Track
So What – Melody
Here is the melody of So What in the soul jazz interpretation of Ronny Jordan.
In Ronny Jordan’s version, the first note is different from the original Miles Davis version. He plays the melody low on the neck, and has to use a G instead of a D.
The melody uses quartal voicings, which are chords built in fourths instead of thirds. These chords are often called So What voicings or Bill Evans voicings.
So What – Ronny Jordan Lick 1
After the melody, Ronny Jordan plays two solo choruses. Each one is based on a repeating jazz guitar lick.
Here are the guitar tabs for the first lick:
So What – Ronny Jordan Lick 2
And here is the second lick of Ronny Jordan’s solo.
Download the PDF, backing track, and audio with JGO+ (Click here to join)
More Miles Davis Tunes:
I hear shades of George Benson in the two licks for the song. Yes?
Thx. Great lesson and transcription. Both are hard to find for the players and tunes that I like. I would like to suggest Dangerous Curves/Jeff Golub and New Wheels/Jeff Lorber. Again nice work keep it up !!! Will be be back.
Hello Dirk, Your version of Ronny Jordans So What is perfecto. I have been playing it for months. Still working out the subtleties of the slides and now experimenting with hammer ons instead of slides…Great tune…Thank you
Thankyou Dirk – I still have the album The Antidote I bought thirty years ago –
this is the first time I’ve seen someone transcribe Ronnie’s version of So What – Great playing mate and thanks for the memory!
Awesome! Thanks Dirk
thx a lot Dirk! love this song.
Great tune…thanks
Great Lesson. Thanks from New Zealand Dirk.
Heaven from Ronny Jordan could be a good Lesson also. Thanks heaps.
Excellent, merci Dirk !
Merci,
J’avais acheté l’album de ce guitariste à sa sortie, j’aime beaucoup.
Ça aurait été sympa d’y mettre le chorus.
Superbe ton jeu de guitare.
Le solo pas le refrain…
Great lesson for an amazing tune! Thank you very much, I’m learning a lot with you.
That is so groovy Dirk, love that.
good job, thank you!
Thanks Dirk l love it
Thanks – a good choice
Wonderful job for a wonderful piece, both the original and Ronny Jordan’s version. I still remember vividly the first time I heard this one in 1994 in a small dance club in Antwerp, early in the morning, right across from where the legendary jazz café Gard Sivik used to be. I stood still in the middle of the dance floor for a bit and then, when I couldn’t hold it any longer, started dancing my heart out. And now I am playing my heart out with a big smile on my face. Thanks for that, Dirk.
Hi Eric, I used to go out there as well in the 90s! Did you see Ronny Jordan in the Pacific?
…. goeie tijden ;0)
Goeie tijden indeed 🙂
Small world! Maybe we even shared the dance floor. No, unfortunately I was abroad when that concert took place, but I was lucky enough to see him perform in the Blue Note club in NY, I think in 2009.
Hello Dirk! Thankyou for this – a great lesson and really well played. Very much appreciated.
Could you tell me what is the Tempo of the backing track, So What?
Hi, the tempo is around 210 bpm.
Thanks for the lesson. I like the Dorian licks. I’m using them to get used to the sound of that mode.
Any suggestions for comping ideas?
Hi Dave, quartal voicings are usually used on modal tunes like So What: https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/quartal-chords-harmony-voicings-for-guitar/
Lovely song, amazing lesson … Thank you!
This is brilliant – as is the rest of this resource!
Thanks for sharing.
The Guitar Pro file is very usefull and I really appreciate it. Thanks
So great thanks for sharing. That piano solo on guitar would be a killer challenge…
Thank you so much for all the great lessons! Much appreciated.
Great, Dirk! Many thanks for this one. I love smooth jazz, acid jazz, jazz funk, bluesy jazz, besides jazz mainstream of course. Hope you do something from the repertoire of Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton in the near future. All the best, Pedro Noleto
Thanks for the lesson. I was wondering if it is really the case that between the lick1 and lick2 sections there is a „space“ bar 65, before lick 2 starts at 66. And the same seems to appear before the piano solo.
Very nice! Thanks a lot!
Thank you for effort Ronny Jordan and Chuck Loeb are all time favourite smooth jazz players of mine
Fantastic tune and thank you
Thanks Dirk! Love this tune!
Thanks this is just what the doctor recommended!!!
Brilliant, well done and thank you.
Bonjour.
Merci pour ces morceaux de musique et ces tutos.
Même si je ne métrise pas l’anglais.
Je peux quand même, grâce ou fichiers mis à disposition étudier les morceaux de musique et m’entrainer sur ma guitare.
Cordialement.
jean-François
Hi Dirk, Bravo et merci
Thanks for this – Good licks I can play off of for more choruses.
Ideal lesson for intermediate jazz player. Thank you, as always.
Very good. I had listened to this version of Ronny Jordan about 15 years ago and I always liked his performance. A great lesson. Thanks!
Thank you, Dirk, once again.
Hi Dirk,
well done a great track and a good job excellent. Sibbs
Muito bom gostei muito .otimo. grato
Excelente lección. Muchas gracias maestro.
Hi Dirk, not one of the most well known for me but I really enjoyed listening and going through the lesson.
Thanks
Gracias! Muy buena onda!
So pleased to get this tune. Ronny Jordan is a favorite and this album hits on all cylinders. I attempt to play along by ear and now I actually have the tab. Looking forward to working on this great treatment but Ronny. Thanks for paying tribute to Ronny.
Thanks struggle through it tonight.
Great job and thanks. Such a great song
Thanks, Jeff, great song indeed!
Great tune, great lesson.
Thank you!
Thanks, Tadeusz!
thx great job
thierry
Hi Thierry, you’re welcome!
Thank you for this and for all you do. Inspiration is priceless.