Wan Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Hi Peeps, Does anybody have an idea what the correct fingering should be used to play the opening riff to So What ?? I've been playing open D the A,B and C on the G string with my 1st finger then D and E with my 4th Finger then C with my 1st finger and D with my 4th. Thanks guys, I'm a pro electric player learning to play the Double and I'm really confused about what fingers to use when approaching tunes. If anyone out there could give me any advise on how to approach playing standards from the Fake book or any other tips about fingering i would really appreciate it. " Maybe I'm thinking about it too much " Thanks, Wan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I would play the open D and then A, B and C on the 7th, 9th and 10th 'fret' of the bass (A/1st, B /2nd and C/4th finger) and the D and E on the G string (1st and 4th). Then, when it changes to Eb, play the Eb on the A string (6th fret) with the first finger and slide the same finger up two frets to complete the rest of the riff a semi-tone higher than above. That is the way Chambers did it. There a video out there on YouTube if someone can post the link (I can't do it in work). (There are only two videos of Chambers that I have ever found; the Robert Herridge video with Miles and Gil Evans and an obscure GBerman video of PC with Coltrane and Stan Getz and Wynton Kelly and Oscar Peterson on piano. Jimmy Cobb is on drums on both videos. Fortunately, one of the videos is So What and, in the closing moments of the performance, the camera is focussed on Chambers. PS There is no 'correct' fingering, just the way that works best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) I'm assuming (from Bilbo's description) that you're playing the Miles Davis classic, not the [i]Anti-Nowhere League[/i] song of the same name. Wonder how that would work with a DB? Caution - not one for the kiddies (or your boss or my mum). Edited May 20, 2011 by paul_5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 [quote name='Wan' post='1238009' date='May 20 2011, 11:49 AM']Hi Peeps, Does anybody have an idea what the correct fingering should be used to play the opening riff to So What ?? I've been playing open D the A,B and C on the G string with my 1st finger then D and E with my 4th Finger then C with my 1st finger and D with my 4th. Thanks guys, I'm a pro electric player learning to play the Double and I'm really confused about what fingers to use when approaching tunes. If anyone out there could give me any advise on how to approach playing standards from the Fake book or any other tips about fingering i would really appreciate it. " Maybe I'm thinking about it too much " Thanks, Wan[/quote] Hi Wan Firstly, there's no such thing as "correct" fingering ! There are "options" and you may end up with "preferences" but there are no rules where fingering is concerned ! It's best to know what all the options are, then decide what you feel works best for you, bearing in mind the musical context, your own strengths and weaknesses, and the efficient use of your physical resources. My DB fingering for "So What" is this: Open D, 1st finger A on D string (so you are already well up the fingerboard), shift up to B with 2nd finger (still on D string), C with 4th finger, for the D shift back and over to G string with 1st, 4th on E (same position),down to C with the 1st (G string), stay in this position now for D (4th on G string) and A (4th on D string) so on and so forth for the rest of the Dm7 section ending on the three Es (4th fing G string) and D and A both with 1st finger on G and d strings respectively. When we get to the Eb minor section, its slightly harder as we need don't have an open Eb string ! So: Eb 1st fing on A string (halfway up the board) Bb 4th fing on D string C shift up to 2nd fing (so still on D string) Db 4th fing (D string) Eb shift back and over on to G string with the 1st finger F 4th finger Db shift back with 1st finger Eb and Bb 4th finger on G and D strings respectively Hope this makes sense ! There are other ways of doing it of course, but I eventually decided this was my preferred method. The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wan Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Fantastic !! Thank you so much guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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