The ‘So What’ Voicing by Bill Evans
The So What voicing is one of the most recognizable chord voicings in jazz piano.
It was made famous by Bill Evans on Miles Davis’s recording of “So What,” where the same voicing moves between Em7 and Dm7.
In this lesson, I’ll show you how to use this voicing in your own playing.
How to Build the So What Voicing
Built from C, the So What voicing is:
C – F – Bb – Eb – G
Measured from the root, these notes are:
1 – 4 – b7 – b3 – 5
You can also think of the 4th as the chord’s 11th:
1 – 11 – b7 – b3 – 5
Play the notes between your hands like this:
Left hand: C – F
Right hand: Bb – Eb – G
The bottom four notes form a stack of perfect 4ths:
C – F – Bb – Eb
Then add the chord’s 5th on top:
G
This produces a spacious minor 11 sound.
The So What voicing is a particularly good choice when you see a minor 7 chord and the melody note is the chord’s 5th.
The Original Em7–Dm7 Movement
In “So What,” Bill Evans moves the voicing down a whole step.
For Em7, play:
E – A – D – G – B
Then move every note down a whole step for Dm7:
D – G – C – F – A
The complete movement is:
Em7: E – A – D – G – B
Dm7: D – G – C – F – A
This technique is sometimes called side-slipping or planing: moving the same chord shape up or down while preserving its interval structure.
The Chord Voicing Guide
The So What voicing is just one of many ways to voice a minor 7 chord.
You can download my free Chord Voicing Guide for more voicings here:
“So What” and the Dorian Scale
The main section of “So What” is based on D Dorian:
D – E – F – G – A – B – C
The Dorian scale is a natural minor scale with a major 6th.
Compare these two scales:
D natural minor: D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C
D Dorian: D – E – F – G – A – B – C
The defining note is B natural, the major 6th.
This note allows both Dm7 and Em7 to be built from the D Dorian scale:
Dm7: D – F – A – C
Em7: E – G – B – D
That is why the movement from Em7 to Dm7 fits naturally within D Dorian.
The bass line also uses notes from the D Dorian scale:
D – A – B – C – D – E – C – D – A
The So What Voicing in C Dorian
You can apply the same idea to any key.
The C Dorian scale is:
C – D – Eb – F – G – A – Bb
The two neighboring minor 7 chords are:
Dm7: D – F – A – C
Cm7: C – Eb – G – Bb
Using the So What voicing, play:
Dm7: D – G – C – F – A
Cm7: C – F – Bb – Eb – G
Again, the entire voicing moves down one whole step.
Practice the Voicing in All 12 Keys
Start by building the So What voicing from C:
Cm7: C – F – Bb – Eb – G
Then move through all 12 root notes:
• C: C – F – Bb – Eb – G
• C#: C# – F# – B – E – G#
• D: D – G – C – F – A
• Eb: Eb – Ab – Db – Gb – Bb
• E: E – A – D – G – B
• F: F – Bb – Eb – Ab – C
• F#: F# – B – E – A – C#
• G: G – C – F – Bb – D
• Ab: Ab – Db – Gb – B – Eb
• A: A – D – G – C – E
• Bb: Bb – Eb – Ab – Db – F
• B: B – E – A – D – F#
Challenge yourself to play all 12 voicings correctly without stopping. If you make a mistake, return to C and begin again.
Use the Voicing in Real Songs
Play through songs in your Real Book and look for minor 7 chords where the melody note is the chord’s 5th.
When you find one, try the So What voicing:
1 – 4 – b7 – b3 – 5
Recommended songs:
• So What
• Blue Bossa
• Dolphin Dance
• Summertime
For more ways to arrange jazz chords across the piano, see my Jazz Piano Chord Voicings Guide.
Next Step
Want to understand how chord voicings fit into the complete system of jazz harmony?
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