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Hi guys - I have years of experience with the guitar, but as a jazz beginner I'm looking to get started on analysing a few miles davis tunes - what are some easy ones to tackle for a relative beginner?
Last edited by Frank1985; 05-17-2022 at 02:24 PM.
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All Blues,Solar,Tune up,,So What....
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If you could say a little more about what Miles albums you like, or why you point out Miles instead of, say, Wayne Shorter or Charlie Parker, it might help focus the question. Miles recorded bebop with Charlie Parker, and he recorded a slick Michael Jackson ballad from Thriller, and he recorded some of the rawest and most punk-rock fusion of the 1970s. Which Miles do you like?
This thread on Bruce Forman's "getting started" tune list might be helpful to you if you really want to focus on the common practice repertoire that Miles helped define in the 1950s:
Bruce Forman's list of 10 tunes for beginners
Another take on what tunes to learn, by Ethan Iverson:
https://twitter.com/ethan_iverson/st...73717809201152
and
https://twitter.com/ethan_iverson/st...29728397615106
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For a beginner a great place to start is So What. Learn Miles' solo. Practice comping and minor chord forms. Improvise and keep your place in the form.
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Start with the Kind of Blue record and listen non stop for month. You will discover many periods covering Bebop, Cool, The Quintet with Tony Williams,Herbie Hancock,Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter.
Fusion with John McGlaughlin,etc. Newer Fusion in the 80’s, Tutu.
Thers so many periods, and so much great music! No matter what it’s a Great Adventure!
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I always think of Miles' greatest compositions as not the ones he published but the ones he composed as solos. His penned pieces are primarily great platforms for his solos: simple but IMO not as important as what he used them for, skeletal structures to compose in real time over.
His solos on other people's pieces, Shorter's tunes (Footprints or Pinnochio), or Monk's tunes (Round Midnight) or Bill Evans' tunes (Blue and Green) are also good places to start your studies from.
The quartet of Prestige records (Workin, Relaxin', Steamin, Cookin') are full of songs (and solos) that will keep you busy and help you build a repertoire for study. The high point of his first great quintet.
Have fun-
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Freddy Freeloader, ESP and Joshua are fun 'guitaristic' Miles tunes, also Blue in Green, Four and Solar
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Yeah I mean you could do worse than learn the 1950s Miles repertoire (prestige etc) because that’s the repertoire most players default to
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I found "So What" to be a very easy first Miles tune. Sounds great as well.
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the tunes on Kind of Blue are timeless..the relaxed energy is abundant..getting the feel of the tunes is the hard part..think...John Coltrane just finished his solo..now its your turn
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Seconding Freddie here, largely familiar as blues but with the b7 to keep on one’s toes. Lotsa fun!
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Cool Duke Ellington tune, simple song form, nice and slow.
Miles' ideas first, Coltrane's second, then Garland's long piano section (rather sparse piano playing, so a good place for you to play along), then Miles finishes it up.
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This is not exactly for beginners, but it is a great tune you should learn at some point:
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Miles practiced for years and years to finally make tutu, Amandla and aura.
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This is the song that brought me to Miles in 1964. Nothing better. Pure genius.
Marinero
Brazilian Rosewood and CITES
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