Chris Parks · Stage 4: Running scales over tunes
Scales for I Got Rhythm
Chris’s second episode follows the blues one: map all 32 bars of rhythm changes in B flat with the scale for each chord, then play them in time so the sound of the changes gets into your ear. The A sections run Barry’s scales ‘up’ (tonic to seventh), the bridge runs each dominant up and down.
Step by step
- 0:28Learn the scales rhythm changes in B flat needs: B flat major, F7, B flat 7 and E flat 7, plus D7, G7, C7 and F7 for the bridge
- 0:47The form is AABA: two eights, the bridge, then the last eight
- 1:24First A: B flat major up, F7 up, B flat major up, F7 up, B flat 7 up, E flat 7 up, B flat major up, F7 up
- 1:55Second A: the same, except it ends with the B flat major scale up and down
- 2:17Bridge: D7, G7, C7 and F7, each scale up and down
- 3:00Last A: the same as the first A
- 3:27Play all 32 bars with the metronome on 80, clicking on 2 and 4
- 4:29Practise these alongside the blues scales: they are the sounds of the changes, not the only things to play
- 5:05On guitar he stays between the 5th and 8th frets: second finger on the 6th fret for B flat major, pinky on the 8th fret for F7; then learn them all over the neck
Barry’s own words on this
In the course
Rhythm, rhythm, rhythmKnow it everywhere on the guitarScale outlinesRhythm changes
Transcript
- 0:00Hello and welcome to episode 2 of Things I’ve Learned from Barry Harris. In today’s episode we’re going to talk about the scales for I Got Rhythm or Rhythm Changes. The first episode was the scales for a blues in C. So today since most rhythm changes are in B-flat or a lot of them are like Anthropologie and Mojta Moj, we’ll talk about rhythm changes in B-flat. So we’ll deal with Bb. So here are the scales you’re going to have to know. Bb major scale, F7 scale, Bb7 scale, Eb7 scale, and then for the bridge you’re going to have to know D7 scale, G7 scale, C7 scale, and then it’s going to go back to F7 scale.
- 0:47Anyway, so those are the scales you’re going to have to know. Now I Got Rhythm is an AABA form, that’s what they call it. So the first 8, the second 8, the bridge is the third 8, and then the last 8. So let’s work on the first 8. The first 8 are going to sound like this. B flat major scale up, F7 scale up. So let’s try that. Then F7 scale up. Then you’re going to repeat those two. Then F7 scale up again. Then you’re gonna do Bb7 scale up,
- 1:24then Eb7 scale up. Now in the first A, you’re gonna end it with Bb scale up again, and F7 scale up. So let’s put those together for the first eight of I Got Rhythm. Okay, that’s the first eight. The second eight is going to be identical to the first eight with the exception of the last two scales.
- 1:55Instead of playing B-flat major scale up, F7 scale up to end it, we’re going to play B-flat major scale up and down. So here’s the second eight. That’s the seconding. Now here comes the bridge, starting with D7. So you’re going to play D7 scale up and down. Then you’re going to play G7 scale up and down. Then you’re going to play C7 scale up and down.
- 2:37And you’re going to end with F7 scale up and down. So let’s play the whole bridge, starting with D7. One, two, three, four. Okay, now we’ve completed the first two A’s and the B. So the last A is actually going to be the same as the first A, which is B-flat major up, F7 up, B-flat major up, F7 up, B-flat 7 up, E-flat 7 up, B-flat major up, F7 up. So it’s going to sound like this.
- 3:27Okay, now that’s all 32 bars of I Got Rhythm. Let’s put our metronome on 80. I like it on two and four so I tap on three so we’ll start one two three Bridge...
- 4:29Anyway, that’s the scales for I Got Rhythms. So the same thing that you were working on in the blues in terms of playing a scale over those 12 bars, same idea with this, playing the scales over those 32 bars, and not that those are the only things that you’re going to play over. Of course there’s a lot more things involved in it, but those are the sounds that you want to try to get into your head to really hear that, to hear the different changes of I Got Rhythm. So practicing those scales with the blues scales is extremely important. And again,
- 5:05I have it on 80, which is really like 160, but the more you keep pushing, pushing, and pushing. And for guitar players, obviously, I’m just working within these frets. I had my second finger starting on the 6th fret for Bb major scale, and my pinky for the F7 scale on the 8th fret starting in that. So it was around this position starting from the 5th fret through the 9th fret, or through the 8th fret, I should say. So, but you can really play it all over. Obviously B-flat major scale is any place, and you should know them any place, but find whatever’s most comfortable for you and practice it that way. I think episode 3, well we’ll see what happens
- 5:44episode 3, but for the first two episodes, practicing the scales for the blues, and for the second episode practicing the scales for I Got Rhythm. And anyway, please leave a comment down below and let me know how you like these so far. Any comments or criticisms or suggestions are, I look forward to hearing them and to reading them. And yeah, anyway, so have fun practicing your scales for I Got Rhythm. Till next time.