Chris Parks · Stage 9: Sixth chords and the scales of chords
Triads
Chris practises triads from the G6 diminished scale, alternating G6 and diminished, and makes them move by stepping one voice at a time, bottom, top or middle, a half step below or to the next scale tone and back. He applies them in G major, on E minor 7 heard as G6, and in an intro, and reflects that once something is in your fingers the real work is placing it musically.
Step by step
- 0:52Play the G6 diminished scale in triads, G6 and diminished alternating, up and down.
- 1:34Move each triad’s lowest note down a half step and back, on every degree.
- 2:27Do the same with the top note.
- 2:49Then with the middle note, working out the trickier fingerings.
- 3:32Instead of a half step below, move a voice to the next scale tone up, then try it coming down.
- 4:34Use them over G major.
- 6:42G6 is also E minor 7, so use them on a quick E minor to A7 going to D, as in Body and Soul.
- 8:58Try them as an intro.
- 10:12Having it in your fingers isn’t the end: learn to place it tastefully, in every key, major 6 and minor 6.
Barry’s own words on this
In the course
Sixth chords rule: minor 7 is major 6, half-diminished is minor 6Triads in the sixth diminished scaleBorrowing a half step belowBody and SoulPut it in a song
Transcript
- 0:00Hello and welcome to episode 70 of Things I’ve Learned from Barry Harris. And today I thought we would talk about practicing triads, just triads. So one of the things that I’ve become more and more aware of as I’ve gotten a little bit better at this stuff is we have to learn how to use even the smallest things to make the musical. So, let’s take for example G6 diminished in triads. You know, the regular G major in triads would be just the normal, which guitar players play all the time.
- 0:52Those are really beautiful. But six diminished is also beautiful. Six diminished is always going to be the G6, the diminished, another G6, another diminished, another G6, another diminished, another G6, another diminished, G6. So there we go. And down. They’re really beautiful on their own. Then we have to learn how to do things with them.
- 1:34Besides just playing them, we have to say, okay, well, what can we do with them? Now, for instance, what if we took the first one, and we took the lowest note, and moved it down a half step, and then back up? So we said... And we did that on every degree. It’s really pretty.
- 2:08I’ll have to figure that first one better. Wait. That’s pretty. Now if we can do it with the bottom note, why don’t we try it with the top note? Ah. So.
- 2:49Oh, sorry. Those are really beautiful. Suppose I did, well, let’s try the middle note. So now you have to really finger it differently, but let’s see. This one. This one, tricky.
- 3:32That’s a pretty one. Gorgeous, gorgeous. How about if we just went to the next scale tone higher, so we say... Oh, that’s pretty. Those are beautiful.
- 4:15How would we do that coming down? Oh, that’s pretty. Wait. Wait, let me do it. That’s really nice. Wow. So let’s take an example of how we would use some of these things. Let’s say if we’re going into... If we’re playing something in G major and we play... That was pretty.
- 5:02That was the one with the half step above, but maybe I’ll do the one with the scale tone above. Half step below, I mean. I’ll do the actually I’ll do this one so let’s try the one with the half step below the lowest note so let’s try really pretty how about if I do the one from with the scale tone up That’s a nice one.
- 5:43So let’s say, let’s do one, two, three. That’s really pretty. Oh, that’s nice. also nice that’s also beautiful Wow so maybe we’ll do this one oh that’s pretty also really nice the other thing is g6 is what g6 is also e-minor 7 so let’s say so let’s say we were
- 6:51doing body and soul because it’s playing even it doesn’t usually a quick E minor to a7 to get to to get to D major so that’s really beautiful that time I did the half step below so what if I did this now let’s see
- 7:32That would be nice. Wow, those are really beautiful. What if I do the one in the bass? Okay, I’ll try to do that one. Let’s see. Oh man.
- 8:17Yeah, that would be good. And then. I’m worried what’s going to go after that, but wow. I saw... Maybe we could do it with the open D. I think I saw Pasquale do something. Let me see with the track. Oh, sorry.
- 8:58So, let’s see. So maybe just an intro. One, two, three. So wait, we’ll just do an intro. Oh man, let’s try it again. That’s a nice one.
- 9:39How about if we play... Yeah. Man, these triads are really beautiful. I love them.
- 10:12Let’s see. man i think the moral of it is just because we practice something and we get it in our fingers there’s a part at least this happens to me there’s a part of me that almost says like okay well i’m good with that now i’m ready to learn the next thing. Where I feel like every time I hear Barry play or go to one of his
- 10:50classes, one of his Zoom classes, he’s taking something I already know how to do or can already finger and he immediately puts it into something that’s so unbelievably beautiful that I never thought of but yet I can do it. Like I can do all these triads but where he places them and where he puts them. I think that’s the thing. Once you get to the point where you’re starting to get all these things in your fingers, you’re not done. You have to, now you’ve got the language together a little bit. Now is when you have to really try to use it tastefully. And I don’t know about everybody
- 11:33else, but for me, that’s where I have the biggest struggle because, you know, I don’t have berries. genius where i can just throw it in at just the appropriate spot and just the right way but i’m trying i’m trying and that’s the goal so anyway i hope this was helpful and i hope this gave you a little inspiration and practice your triads in g and you know obviously if we’re doing them in g you should do them in c and f and b flat e flat d flat everything not only major six but minor six So it’s very important for you to work on.
- 12:09So hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, thanks.