Barry HarrisThe method

Chris Parks · Stage 9: Sixth chords and the scales of chords

The Barry Harris scale no one plays: 7 flat 5 diminished

Episode 127 · 10:22 · On YouTube · In the lesson player

Chris turns to the least-played of Barry’s four scales of chords, the dominant 7 flat 5 diminished, built in G from G7 flat 5 and A diminished. He plays it in thirds and triads, notes that the triads repeat from D flat because G7 flat 5 and D flat 7 flat 5 share their notes, and uses them on a ii-V. He says he reaches for this scale on almost every dominant when comping.

Step by step

  1. 1:53In G, the major 6 and minor 6 diminished scales pair their chord with A diminished, and so does G7 in the dominant 7 diminished scale.
  2. 2:32The 7 flat 5 diminished scale is G7 flat 5 with A diminished: root, 2, 3, 4, flat 5, flat 6, flat 7, major 7.
  3. 3:15Play the scale, then in thirds, the second floor of Thomas Eccles’s elevator; the thirds run major, minor, a second, minor, and repeat.
  4. 3:58Then triads: a major triad with a flat 5, then a diminished, alternating up the scale.
  5. 4:30G7 flat 5 and D flat 7 flat 5 have the same four notes, so the triads repeat from D flat.
  6. 5:07Use the triads over D minor 7 to G7 in place of the usual chord.
  7. 7:05Move thirds in parallel through the scale as well.
  8. 7:42Chris uses the dominant 7 and 7 flat 5 diminished scales on nearly every dominant when comping.
  9. 8:14Barry had the major and minor 6 scales in the 1950s but, Chris believes, came to the two dominant ones much later, around the 1980s.
  10. 8:49Beyond drop 2s, use the smaller shapes and contrary motion, starting from the third or the flat fifth.

Chords and notes in this video

Tap a time to jump to it in the video.

Line2:32
𝄞♭♭♯
C4GABCFD♭E♭G♭
  1. G
  2. A
  3. B
  4. C
  5. D♭
  6. E♭
  7. F
  8. F#

Barry’s own words on this

9.8 The 7th diminished and 7th flat 5 diminished scales3.1 The raw materials

In the course

The major 6 diminished scaleThe dominant 7 flat 5 diminished scaleThe elevator: Thomas Eccles’ floorsParallel, oblique and contrary motion

Transcript

  1. 0:00Hello and welcome to episode 127 of Things I’ve Learned from Barry Harris. And before we start the episode, I just wanted to mention that this video is being sponsored by OpenStudioJazz.com, which is a wonderful place where I am going to be starting a guitar program starting on the beginning of February. uh first friday it starts in february and then it’s going to be every mondays and fridays friday’s class is going to be at 12 p.m eastern monday’s class is going to be at 9 p.m eastern
  2. 0:38so we’ll try to get some people from on the west coast involved and it’s going to be 100 focused on the things that we talk about on this channel and barry harris’s teaching and the things I’ve learned from them. Friday we’re going to generally focus on soloing ideas and Mondays we’re going to generally focus on Barry’s harmonic ideas or chording. So that’s what we’re going to split it up. But my suggestion is if you’ve ever wanted to ask me any questions or there was something that was confusing to you now’s the time if you sign up I’m going to leave a link in the description and
  3. 1:14you use the coupon code or the promo code PARKS which is my last name P-A-R-K-S, all caps, you’ll get 30% off as an OpenStudio Pro member. And as a pro member, if you scroll down and you see all the different classes it lets you be able to attend, all of the other videos that they’ve already pre-recorded that it lets you attend, it’s just an unbelievable amount of material for you to go through and to learn. This is the greatest place for learning, I think, period, in terms of this music. The greatest place. So definitely check it out.
  4. 1:53That’s over at OpenStudioJazz.com. Again, I’ll leave the link in the description. So today, what I thought we would talk about is, we know Barry’s two scales of chords that we generally talk about, which is major six diminished, and we talk about minor six diminished. Now, both of those are interesting scales, and we know that both of those scales consist of a G major 6, because we do it in G, and then an A diminished. The G minor 6 consists of a G minor 6 and an A diminished. The other two are the ones that we don’t necessarily talk about a lot, but some people do.
  5. 2:32This is G7. G7 diminished, which is two things. It’s a G7 chord, and it’s an A diminished chord, so that’s two things. But this is the one that we generally stay away from, because it’s kind of, it could be considered the most dissonant sounding, and that is the dominant 7 flat 5 diminished. So that’s going to consist of a G7 flat 5 and an A diminished. So it’s going to have a root, a second, a third, a fourth, a flat fifth, flat sixth, flat seventh, major seventh, and atomic. So here’s our scale.
  6. 3:15That’s our scale. Kind of outsounding, but like the other scales, here’s a couple of things that you have to know how to do. The first thing that we would have to know is play the scale, obviously. And then if we’re going to take, let’s say, Thomas’s, as you all know, I talk about Thomas Eccles all the time, but Thomas’s idea of labyrinth of limitations. But Thomas’s idea of using this elevator, where the first thing you have to know is single notes. The second thing you’d have to know on that elevator would be thirds. So we have to take this same concept in thirds. So now right away we have this funny second. You have to do the first major, third, minor, second, minor. Now we’re
  7. 3:58going to do the same thing again, which would be major, minor, second, minor. So this is what it would be. And then you’re back to the root again. So those are already interesting. Those thirds sound really pretty. The next step on Thomas’ elevator would be triads. So here would be the triads. First one is going to be major with flat 5. And you’ve got your diminished.
  8. 4:30So every other one is still going to be diminished. Then you’ve got this one, which is beautiful. You start off with the second right away, and then you’ve got the major third above it. because this one is going to have the third, the flat fifth, and the seventh. Really pretty. Then again you have your diminished. And now you’re going to repeat those four again because G7 flat 5 and D flat 7 flat 5 are the same chord. The four notes in G7 flat 5 are the same four notes in D flat 7 flat 5. So if we have this triad to this, this, this, we did four. Now we’re going to start on D flat and do the same thing.
  9. 5:07that flat 5 is diminished there’s that there’s that where you start off with the second again and then there you go start from the beginning and then get back to the first one again so those are really beautiful let’s use a few examples just to see how we need to really know these let’s say we’re saying D minor 7 to G7 Now that’s pretty, but let’s say if we do some triad stuff instead. So let’s say... And instead of this chord, let’s play... So let’s try that.
  10. 5:45Let’s see what it sounds like. That’s really pretty. So here’s our turnaround. Really beautiful triad stuff. I love that sound. How about if we do the triad from here. So let’s say. Those are also beautiful.
  11. 6:23I love these sounds for the triad. Let’s start it from the D-flat, 7-flat-flat. So let’s say. Oh, what should we do now? I’m lost. Wait, we got... No, we got... That’s what we got. See, I have to practice this more myself. So let’s try again. Let’s say... So let’s say... Really beautiful. I love the sounds. How about if we just do thirds? Let’s see. Let’s try
  12. 7:05to do some thirds. That was just a couple of thirds. Let’s start the thirds from here. Those are really pretty. But do you see how just knowing some of these triads, They’re so pretty. And then just moving them parallel. I love this sound. And they’re definitely useful. You will definitely use them if you get them in your fingers.
  13. 7:42I use them anytime there’s a dominant chord. So the last two ones, the G7 and the G7 flat 5, I generally use those whenever there’s a dominant chord. so if there’s a G7 if there’s a C7 that’s the dominant 7 flat 5 diminished scale that I use I use that one all the time when chording when chording I’m talking about just chording but those are the little overlooked ones and as a matter of fact I think Barry knew about the major 6 and minor 6
  14. 8:14in the 50’s but he didn’t think about the dominant 7 and the dominant 7-5-5 diminished until way later. I think it was like the 80s he said he was talking about those. So we really need to get on those two scales of chords because they are beautiful. The dominant 7 is beautiful too. I mean, listen to the dominant 7. That’s also beautiful. Let’s see. That’s also beautiful in triads. Really pretty.
  15. 8:49Beautiful sounding stuff. So the triads are really important. But I would say definitely go over Dominant 7, flat 5, diminished scale. Because you’re going to find you use it all the time. The drop twos are beautiful. But you know, we do drop twos all the time. It would be nice to do some smaller things too. Like those are pretty too. Drop twos, drop threes are pretty. Drop two, drop four is pretty. But it’s nice to do the smaller things. And then if you start doing like a contrary motion. That’s really beautiful.
  16. 9:21Or if I start on the third. So maybe let’s do an example like that. Let’s say. I like that one. What if I do from the flat fifth? Oh, I like that one. Let’s try that one. Did I do that one right? Yeah. That was right.
  17. 9:56I love the sound of that. So anyway, it’s just a quick video to point out yet another thing that Barry has given us that we really need to start taking advantage of, and that is the Dominant 7 flat 5 diminished scale. Until next time, I hope to see you over at Open Studio Jazz for our guitar program. See you soon.