Barry HarrisThe method

Chris Parks · Stage 5: The added-note rules

A New ‘Bebop’ Scale

Episode 99 · 12:28 · On YouTube · In the lesson player

Chris treats the added half step between 6 and 5 in a descending major scale as a rhythmic placeholder, as Barry’s teaching suggests, so the extra note can be something else, such as the 7 or the 4. He makes his own version, applies it to G, F and E flat major in How High the Moon, and describes three phases of learning: discovery, practice in keys and positions, and internalising.

Step by step

  1. 0:00Start from the familiar descending G major scale with a half step added between 6 and 5.
  2. 1:14See the added note as a rhythmic placeholder; instead of the flat 6, jump back up to the 7.
  3. 1:56Or drop down to the 4 as the added note, giving the same rhythm with a new sound.
  4. 2:34Outline How High the Moon: G major, C7, F major, B flat 7, E flat major.
  5. 3:54Use the new scale on G major and repeat the same idea on F major.
  6. 4:40Apply Barry’s rule: run up from the tonic to any note and keep the tonic’s rule, with your new added note.
  7. 5:16Play it in tempo on How High the Moon in G, F and E flat major.
  8. 8:37Move the placeholder elsewhere: between tonic and 7 with Barry’s chromatic scale, or between 4 and 3.
  9. 9:52Learn in three phases: discover it, practise it in keys and positions, then let it come out on the gig.

Barry’s own words on this

5.6 The added note need not be a half step5.2 Major scale descending5.1 Why add a note

In the course

Which rule applies after a run or a leapNo bebop scale: the half step is a placeholderBarry’s chromatic scaleThree phases of learningFreedom and your own voice

Transcript

  1. 0:00Hello and welcome to episode 99 of Things I’ve Learned from Barry Harris. And today I thought we would take from Barry’s way of looking at things how to really be an individual in terms of creating lines as opposed to just playing other people’s lines or things that people have played thousands of times already. So by that I mean if we take a look at what most people refer to as, let’s say, the major bebop scale, which would be a normal major scale but with a half step between the 6th
  2. 0:36and the 5th. So if we do it, let’s say, in the key of G, we would say, if we do descending, it would be regular G major scale, except we have a half step in between the 6th and the 5th. Now that’s a nice scale. Works rhythmically perfect. But what Barry lets you know is, well first of all, Barry doesn’t believe in major bebop scales, dominant bebop scales, but that’s a separate discussion. More important is, what you need to feel is that half step in between six and five, the way I start to see it after listening to Barry talk about it,
  3. 1:14is it’s a rhythmic placeholder. So that means that rhythmic placeholder can be a lot of different spots. So I might want to put the half step in between six and five, but let’s say I don’t want to make it the sharp five or the flat six. Let’s say I want to make it a different note. So I’ll decide, and this is what will make me individual, and this is what will make me sound unique from other people. So let’s say instead I’ll say, maybe I’ll jump back up to seven. So here’s will be what I’ll put. Instead of between the six and five, which is what everybody plays,
  4. 1:56let’s say I say I’m never playing that again. I’m going to play this from now on. So now it’s going to be, instead of between the fifth and the sixth, the flat sixth, I’m going to jump up to 7. There’s my scale. So now, any time I have the inclination to play this, I’m going to play this. And even though it’s a subtle difference, it is a difference. But let’s say I didn’t want to go up to 7. Let’s say I wanted to drop down. So maybe I’ll hit the 4th. That’s a pretty scale, too.
  5. 2:34Same scale. one half step, but the half step I put in a different spot, and now it has a totally different sound. So for instance, let’s say I’ve decided I’m going to use that. Now that’s going to be mine. That’s going to be, I’m going to take it over. I’m going to say, okay, when I’m practicing, when I’m going to do the one half step, I’m not going to do it between six and five. I’m going to be, I’m going to put it between six and five, but I’m going to make it the four, not the flat six. And let’s say I take a tune like How High the Moon is in the key of G, which would be, if we were going to do the scales for it, it would be G major up and down, then C7 up and
  6. 3:15down. And it’s going to do the same thing in F major, Bb7, and here we got Eb major up, that’s all. So that’s as far as we’ll do it. So we got G major up and down, C7 up and down, F major up and down, E7 up and down, E flat major up, and we’ll talk about what happens after another time. But let’s say we wanted to use our new idea, which is going to be putting the half step
  7. 3:54instead of the flat six, we’ll make it the four. So we’ll start, we’ll say one, two, three, four. Same thing for F. Same thing for F. So I did the one riff, the G major, and then I duplicated on an F major. And I didn’t play anything for C7, but maybe we’ll play the scale there. So one, two, three, four, four, and then, or whatever we want to do after that. But what is one of the other rules for the half steps would be if you start on a note
  8. 4:40and run up to any other note, you use the rule for the note you started on. So if we started on tonic, let’s say we ran up to the second. Still one half step. So normally it would be this. Which is beautiful. But everybody puts the half step there. So let’s not be like everybody. Let’s say... That’s a beautiful phrase. Now, where you might find on a lot of recording something... You might find that.
  9. 5:16I think it’s going to be a lot harder to find somebody playing this. And see, this is where we become individuals. This is why Barry’s method allows you to do this. So I’ve never played this. I mean, this is not something that I’ve really practiced or that I know. That’s why I’m kind of sloppy with it. But let’s take High High the Moon and let’s see if I can put it in. Let’s see, in tempo, one, two. I used it all three of them. I used it for G major, not great, but I used it for G major,
  10. 6:04I used it for F major, and I used it for E flat major, which is the next one. Maybe I’ll try the first one I’ll do maybe I’ll try to just do starting on the tonic but maybe on the F major I’ll run up to the second so let me try it one two three let’s see one two three So the third one, I ran up to a three.
  11. 6:56But then I did something fancy to get around the D7. But that’s the idea. So see, so you take a thing, and you say, okay, I’m going to practice it. And in this particular instance, we’re practicing in three keys. G major, we’re practicing in F major, and we’re practicing in E flat major. So that’s another little thing for us to take a look at so that we’re not just playing in one key. And this song allows us to do that, How High the Moon. But also, it lets you feel something totally different than maybe you wouldn’t have played before. So, I don’t know if I... Let me try to play it up to the three each time. That’s nice.
  12. 7:45I mean, listen to that phrase. That’s a great phrase. Now I just put a triplet. All right. Oh. There it is.
  13. 8:37Really pretty. I love that sound, but it just shows you that, see we get caught up in things, and what Barry’s system allows you to do is say, okay yeah, it’s a common thing for people to put a half step in between six and five, but let’s really analyze that and see what they’re doing. So the six and five is just a rhythmic placeholder. We could put that half step anywhere, it doesn’t have to be there. As a matter of fact, if I even decided that’s what the normal thing is between 6 and 5. Suppose I said I don’t even want to put it between the 6 and 5. I want to put it between the tonic
  14. 9:17and 7, like kind of on a dominant scale. So I’ll use Barry’s chromatic scale and make it this. Since there is no half step between tonic and 7, I’ll just jump up and grab the 2. So I’ll do this. also beautiful now I’m not even putting the half step between 6 and 5 I’m putting it someplace else let’s see, maybe I can do it in between 4 and 3 that’s nice too what was it again between 4
  15. 9:52also beautiful so these are endless so there is absolutely zero reason for us to repeat everybody else’s phrases when we have the ability or at least barry gives us the ability to do it so i always talk to my students about this like for myself i don’t know how everybody else learns but I’m a particularly slow learner. So I have kind of three phases that I go through. The first phase is the discovery phase, or as one of my students in Holland calls it, he calls it a bearish playground,
  16. 10:33which I love that idea of bearish playground. So it’s the discovery phase. So it’s just working on maybe putting a half step some ways where you haven’t put it before. Then it’s the second phase where, okay, I have to learn, let’s say this phrase, and I have to learn it in a few keys, and I have to learn it in different positions on the guitar or on my horn or whatever. Piano, different keys. Then it reaches, you get comfortable with that phase, then it reaches the third phase, which is you’re on a gig or you’re performing or it’s time to play and you don’t have time to check something out.
  17. 11:06You’ve already gone through those two stages. Once it reaches that stage, it’s at the, it’s, I’ve internalized it and it’s part of me phase. so at least that’s how I learned things so you could take this a concept that we’re talking about which is putting half step in different spots and you can come up with your own thing and I’d love to hear what in maybe in the comments what people come up with because again this is the thing that I feel like Barry makes you feel with his method he makes you feel like it’s really up to you and you can be as creative with it as you’d like.
  18. 11:45Not to say that you can’t put a half step in between 6 and 5. I still do it all the time. But why do I do it all the time? I do it all the time because I practiced it. I got it to the second phase and then it comes out in my playing. So there’s no reason why I can’t make my new half step that 4 like we’ve been doing. Practice it. Get it together. I’ve discovered it. I have to get it together. And then the third phase will be I’m playing How High the Moon someplace or whatever tune we’re playing. when it comes out. Anyway, I hope this was helpful. And until next time,
  19. 12:18enjoy Barry’s Method with creating your own lives and becoming a real individual. Until next time. Thanks.