Barry HarrisThe method

Chris Parks · Stage 5: The added-note rules

Major Scale Half-Step Rules

Episode 25 · 13:17 · On YouTube · In the lesson player

Chris lays out Barry’s descending half-step rules for the major scale in C: starting on 1, 3, 5 or 7 takes one half step between 6 and 5, or three half steps; starting on 2, 4 or 6 takes none, or two. He then shows the run-up-and-back rule and stresses that the rules are a rhythmic foundation, not a limit, recalling Barry starting phrases on any note the class called out.

Step by step

  1. 0:35Group the degrees: 1, 3, 5 and 7 share one set of rules; 2, 4 and 6 share another.
  2. 1:13From the tonic, descend with one half step between 6 and 5; from the second, use none, or two (2 to 1 and 6 to 5).
  3. 2:00From the third, use one half step (6 to 5) or three (3 to 2, 2 to 1, 6 to 5).
  4. 2:38From the fourth, use the second’s rules; from the fifth, the tonic’s rules.
  5. 3:57From the sixth, use the second’s rules; from the seventh, the tonic’s rules; then review all seven.
  6. 5:13If you start on a note, run up and come back down, keep the rule of the note you started on.
  7. 7:10Practise it from the third running up to the fourth, with one or three half steps.
  8. 8:19Try Barry’s exercise: have someone call out any of the 12 notes and start a phrase on it.
  9. 10:20Make an outside note fit by hearing a substitute, e.g. G sharp over C7 as the second of the tritone, F sharp 7.

Chords and notes in this video

Tap a time to jump to it in the video.

Line0:35
𝄞♭
C4GABCA♭
  1. C
  2. B
  3. A
  4. A♭
  5. G
Line1:13
𝄞♭♭
C3GABCDA♭D♭
  1. D
  2. D♭
  3. C
  4. B
  5. A
  6. A♭
  7. G

Barry’s own words on this

5.2 Major scale descending5.5 Rules from every degree, ascending rules, several added notes, harmonic minor5.1 Why add a note8.5 The tritone

In the course

Coming out right: why half stepsThe half-step rules for the major scaleWhich rule applies after a run or a leapEvery note is a target noteThe tritone

Transcript

  1. 0:00Hello, and welcome to episode 25 of Things I’ve Learned from Barry Harris. Today I thought we would discuss Barry’s half-step rules for the major scale. In a previous episode I discussed the half-step rules for the dominant scale, and I got a lot of questions about, well, does he have one for major, and he does. In the same as the dominant scale, you’re going to think, now again, these are descending, starting on a particular degree of the scale.
  2. 0:35And the ones that you have to keep in mind that stay together are starting from the root, starting from the third, starting from the fifth, and starting from the seventh. Those all get the same rules. Also, starting from the second, starting from the fourth, and starting from the sixth, those all get the same rules. So we’ll discuss what each rule is. Let’s start on the tonic and maybe let’s choose the key of, well, we’ll do the key of C. So we’ll start on the tonic and the first rule for starting on the tonic is we’re going
  3. 1:13to come down and we’re going to put one half step in between six and five. So let’s try that. So between the 6th and the 5th of C major. So let’s try that. That’s one half step in between 6 and 5. Let’s try starting from 2nd. The rule for 2 is going to be no half steps. 1st. That’s the first rule. Okay, the second rule is going to be two half steps between second and tonic and six and five. And then we’ll start from the third, and the third is going to get the same rule as the tonic.
  4. 2:00First, we’ll put one half step in between six and five. Now we’ll do three half steps. And the three half steps are going to be between three and two, two and one, and six and five. So two is going to have two half steps, which is no half steps and two half steps. Here’s no half steps. Here’s the two half steps. And three is going to have two rules also. So first one half step, and then three half steps.
  5. 2:38Now we’ll start on the four, and four, like two, is going to get no half steps first. Again, no half steps. Now it’s going to get two half steps, and the two half steps are going to be in the same place that they were for the second, which is going to be between two and one and six and five. So now we’ll start on the four, two half steps between two and one and six and five. or just to the third if we want. Now we’ll use the five. So the five is going to get the same rules for the tonic and for the third.
  6. 3:15The first rule is going to be one half step between six and five. I guess we’ll end on the five. We can go down the third too. And then we’re going to get three half steps between three and two, 2 and 1 and 6 and 5, which is exactly the same as the rule for the tonic and the rule for the third. So let’s try that starting on the 5, descending between the 3rd and the 2nd, 2nd and tonic, 6 and 5. We’ll start on the 6. 6 is going to get the same half steps as the 2nd and the 4th, which the first one is going to be no half steps. We’ll end on the
  7. 3:57five maybe we’ll go down three now we’ll do two half steps between the second and the tonic and the six and the five that’s a nice one now we’ll start on the seventh and we’ll do one half step between six and five now we’ll start on the seventh again and we’ll do three half steps which was the same for the root the third and the fifth and now the seventh which is going to be between three and two two and one and six and five so let’s try that one
  8. 4:32let me try it again again that’s three half steps so now you got all your rules for the half steps so one three five and seven are the same rules either one half step between six and five or three half steps between three and two two and one and six and five and then the two and the four and the six are also connected and those rules are either no half steps or two half steps between second and tonic and six to five now in the same way that the rules for um the dominant scale
  9. 5:13change a little bit when you do certain things same thing for the major scale so let’s let’s just say for instance, we’re going to start, one of the rules for the half steps is if we start on a note and run up to any other note and then run back down, you’re going to use the rule for the note you started on. So let’s say I start on tonic and let’s say I run up to second. I’m still going to use the rule for the tonic. So it would be one half step between six and five. It’s a nice phrase. Let’s say I start on the tonic and run up to the third.
  10. 5:47I’ll still use the rule for the tonic, which is one half step between six and five. Or in that instance, since I’m already up to the third, I could probably put three half steps in. Between three and two, two and one, six and five. Let’s see. Let’s do one half step first. Sounds good. Now let’s do three half steps. Nice one too. Nice one. Now let’s do tonic running up to the fourth.
  11. 6:25That was still with one half step. Now let’s do tonic running up to the fourth. Two half steps between, I’m sorry, three half steps between three and two, two and one, six and five. Well, I changed it a little bit at the end there, but you get the idea. so three half steps. Which is pretty. Then I just added something at the end of it. So you see that’s one of the rules starting on a note running up to another
  12. 7:10note. You could do that for each degree and just get those in your fingers because it really helps you. Let’s start on the third. Let’s start on the third and do one half step, but I’m going to run from the third to the fourth, which is a nice phrase. Or how about starting on the third, running up to the fourth, and then playing three half steps, which is really nice. Let’s see. Really nice phrase. But anyway, these are all ways to get yourself out of trouble,
  13. 7:45rhythmically, about landing on correct notes, not so correct notes. The other thing I wanted to discuss, and maybe we’ll discuss it further in another episode, is this idea of target notes and things like that. I get it, and it is true for the half steps. You do want to fall on certain notes and certain beats. But that does not mean that we can’t start a phrase on a note that’s not in the scale or not a target note.
  14. 8:19So, like for instance, Barry used to do this exercise where he would say, call out a note. You know, we would be playing, well, we’ll keep it in C, but let’s just say anything, playing a blues in C. And they’ll say, call out any note. and people would call out a number, you know, like a root, a third, a fifth, and then people started to, instead of call out notes in the scale, they started to call out notes out of the scale. So he would say, call out any of the 12 tones, and I’ll take that phrase and I’ll start a phrase
  15. 8:53with it, using that note. And the reason that he did that, I think, was to show us that all 12 notes can be equally important. So Barry’s whole thing is you just have to make something out of it, something hip out of it, or something pretty out of it. So these rules are not necessarily, the reason why I’m going through that discussion is because these rules are really meant to help you to get a good foundation. But again, it’s not the only thing that you’re going to be using as an improviser, or it’s
  16. 9:28not the only thing, it’s not the only strict way that you’re going to go about it. But once you get them in your fingers, it’s very helpful, and you have a really fantastic foundation to work from. But, you know, so just in the key of C, let’s say we’re playing a blues, sometimes Barry would say, well, what if we start on a G sharp, you know, or he would say, we would say, start on G sharp, Barry, and he would come up with, you know. But it’s the idea that you could start on any note and you make something of it, you know, whatever you choose to make of it.
  17. 10:20But you have to figure out different ways. Another way that he used to talk about it is if you start on a note, that note you might want to imply a different way. a different chord than is actually being played there. So a substitute chord, or maybe you want to be ahead of the beat or whatever. So even that same that same 5th or that same sharp 5th you might want to do something different. Like for instance, in a blues in C, the first chord is C7.
  18. 10:55We know that you can also play C7’s tritone because it’s going home to F. So C7’s tritone is F sharp. So that G sharp is the second of F sharp. So you could say... So all I did was come down a chord from the second of F sharp. So...
  19. 11:29So, again, because I saw a lot of discussion about it, and I just wanted to make it clear, I didn’t want to imply that these are the only notes that you can play or not play, or you have to fall on a certain beat or not on a certain beat. but the idea is it’s a good foundation to become rhythmically sound but then at the same time you want to be able to work yourself out of any sort of trouble you get yourself into as an improviser
  20. 12:06so that means any note at any time you should try to be able to make something out of it and one of one of the most wonderful classes that I remember attending was he went on like that I mean Barry went on and on like that for like 20 minutes. I think he was playing the bridge or Cherokee or something like that. So, and we would just call out a note and he’d start. And sometimes he would start at the bottom of the piano and go all the way to the top or start at the top of the piano and come all the way down. I mean, just incredible. But obviously that’s the highest level of what it is that I’m getting across to you, but it’s a good place to shoot for. I mean,
  21. 12:44I’m still shooting for it myself. So, yeah. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this episode about the half steps for the major scale. So now we have dominant scale, the major scale. And I have to talk a little bit more about playing maybe in some of the upcoming episodes about minor. Because there’s a lot of questions about minor. So we’ll do that. But anyway, enjoy practicing your major scale half steps. Until next time. Thanks.