Barry HarrisThe method
Volume I · Foundations Stage 4, running scales over tunes Idea 4 of 41234
4.4

Scale outlinesMapping a whole tune with scales

A scale outline turns a tune’s chords into a chain of plain scale calls, each with a direction and, where needed, a landing note. Barry wanted a tune known that simply before anything hip, then built rules and phrases on it.

In plain words

Barry’s simplest plan for a B♭ blues is a chain of eight scale calls: B♭7 up, E♭7 up, B♭7 up and down, E♭7 up and down, B♭ major up and down to the third of G, F7 up and down, B♭ major up, F7 up. He called it basic blues, as simple as it gets, and said you have to know it just that simply before the hip stuff.

Practising the blues with the horns, part 24:315:03

Put together from Barry’s outlines and students’ notes, the rules are short. A major chord gets its major scale, a dominant gets its dominant scale (which also covers the ii in front of it), and a minor ii–V gets the dominant a minor third above the V. A one-bar chord gets ‘up’ or ‘down’, a two-bar chord ‘up and down’. When the next chord is a secondary dominant, the scale often lands on its third.

Practising the blues with the horns, part 24:31Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 10:01Major scales on the bridge of Cherokee1:08My Chat With Chris Parks From Things I Learned From Barry Harris19:22Frédéric Galliano, Notes on the Method of Barry Harris ¶134

He worked other tunes the same way: the last 16 bars of Indiana in A♭ as calls, several landing on the third of the next chord; the Cherokee bridge as B, A and G major scales, then C7 and F7 (in the 1998 workshop: F♯7, B major, E7, A major, G major, C7, F7). He had horn players write the scales out in manuscript books, and said that from any piece you want to learn, you can at least learn the scales.

Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 10:010:331:08Major scales on the bridge of Cherokee0:351:08The 1998 workshop, part 31:07:53

With the outline in place, Barry adds to it. On the blues he had the class play ‘B♭ major up and down to the third of G’ with a diminished run after it and find where that falls (bars seven and eight, into nine), and he promised a pretty phrase once they could play all the scales. On the Cherokee bridge he added a rule: when the scale comes down to the fourth, play the second and go chromatically up to the third.

Practising the blues with the horns, part 11:113:00Practising the blues with the horns, part 25:035:57The 1998 workshop, part 31:10:071:13:06

Step by step

  1. Give each chord one scale: the major scale for a major chord, the dominant scale for a dominant and for the ii–V that leads to it, and for a half-diminished chord the dominant whose third it is.

    Major scales on the bridge of Cherokee1:08Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 13:33Frédéric Galliano, Notes on the Method of Barry Harris ¶134

  2. Fit the call to the chord’s length: one bar is ‘up’ (or ‘down’), two bars are ‘up and down’.

    My Chat With Chris Parks From Things I Learned From Barry Harris19:22Frédéric Galliano, Notes on the Method of Barry Harris ¶134jazzguitar.be members (usernames kept per post), Barry Harris Practice approach (jazzguitar.be forum thread) ¶20jazzguitar.be members (usernames kept per post), Barry Harris Practice approach (jazzguitar.be forum thread) ¶21

  3. When the next chord is a secondary dominant (VI7 after I, or the V of a minor chord), end the scale on that chord’s third instead of the tonic (‘to the third of’).

    Practising the blues with the horns, part 11:11Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 10:01Howard Rees, Part 1: Scales & Chords / Part 2: Scale Rules ¶6

  4. Barry’s B♭ blues outline, bar by bar.

    Bar 1: B♭7 up
    𝄞♭♭♭
    1. B♭
    2. C
    3. D
    4. E♭
    5. F
    6. G
    7. A♭
    Bar 2: E♭7 up
    𝄞♭♭♭♭
    1. E♭
    2. F
    3. G
    4. A♭
    5. B♭
    6. C
    7. D♭
    Bars 3–4: B♭7 up and down
    𝄞♭♭♭♭♭
    1. B♭
    2. C
    3. D
    4. E♭
    5. F
    6. G
    7. A♭
    8. G
    9. F
    10. E♭
    11. D
    12. C
    13. B♭
    Bars 5–6: E♭7 up and down
    𝄞♭♭♭♭♭♭♭
    1. E♭
    2. F
    3. G
    4. A♭
    5. B♭
    6. C
    7. D♭
    8. C
    9. B♭
    10. A♭
    11. G
    12. F
    13. E♭
    Bars 7–8: B♭ major up and down to the third of G
    𝄞♭♭♭
    1. B♭
    2. C
    3. D
    4. E♭
    5. F
    6. G
    7. A
    8. G
    9. F
    10. E♭
    11. D
    12. C
    13. B
    Bars 9–10: F7 up and down
    𝄞♭♭♭
    1. F
    2. G
    3. A
    4. B♭
    5. C
    6. D
    7. E♭
    8. D
    9. C
    10. B♭
    11. A
    12. G
    13. F
    Bar 11: B♭ major up
    𝄞♭♭
    1. B♭
    2. C
    3. D
    4. E♭
    5. F
    6. G
    7. A
    Bar 12: F7 up
    𝄞♭♭
    1. F
    2. G
    3. A
    4. B♭
    5. C
    6. D
    7. E♭

    Practising the blues with the horns, part 24:31Practising the blues with the horns, part 13:00

  5. Play the outline straight through in time until you know it by heart, then start adding rules, runs and phrases to it, one at a time.

    Practising the blues with the horns, part 25:03Practising the blues with the horns, part 14:08jazzguitar.be members (usernames kept per post), Barry Harris Method and The Paradox of Learning Improvisation ¶66

an added note, outside the scale

How he said to practise it

  • Learn the outline as a list of calls you can say out loud; in one class Barry had the B♭ blues told to the others as a list of calls and expected everyone to know it.

    Practising the blues with the horns, part 24:31

  • Write the outline out yourself in a manuscript book, as Barry asked his horn players to.

    Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 10:33

  • Then find where each call falls in the form and add one device at a time: a diminished run after landing on the third of G, a rule at the fourth on the Cherokee bridge.

    Practising the blues with the horns, part 13:004:08The 1998 workshop, part 31:10:07

  • Howard Rees recalls Barry often saying ‘we’re not here to be creative’: practise the scale work inside a tune, in different keys and at challenging tempos, and don’t worry that it sounds mechanical; this is the craft.

    Scale Phrases for F Major Blues5:466:18

In Barry’s words

Each one plays from the moment he says it. Every other moment he teaches it is listed below.

I expect you to know that’s basic blues, simple as we can get.

Practising the blues with the horns, part 2, The Hague, 1989–98. After reciting the B♭ blues as a chain of scale calls. 4:31 Watch on YouTube at 4:31

That’s basic blues. Simple as we can get it. And you’ve got to know it. Just that simple... There’s some hip stuff, too.

Practising the blues with the horns, part 2, The Hague, 1989–98. The same class: the outline comes before any ‘hip’ material. 4:46 Watch on YouTube at 4:46

We can take any piece... and we say, okay, we want to learn that piece, even just the scales, we can learn scales from the pieces.

Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 1, The Hague, 1989–98. Working through the scale outline of Indiana in A♭. 1:07 Watch on YouTube at 1:07

They really should write this stuff out themselves.

Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 1, The Hague, 1989–98. Asking for music stands and manuscript books for the horn players. 0:33 Watch on YouTube at 0:33

Where this comes from

Everything above is drawn from these. Open any one to check it.

Every moment he teaches it12 moments in 6 recordings

Each time opens the transcript there; the video plays when you are online.

Practising the blues with the horns, part 2

The Hague, 1989–98 — 8 min On YouTube

  1. 4:31

    The B♭ blues as a chain of scale calls; know it that simply before the hip stuff.

    Watch on YouTube at 4:31

  2. 3:58

    Corrects a student: be sure to play B♭ major up where the outline calls for it.

    Watch on YouTube at 3:58

  3. 5:57

    Promises a pretty phrase for a chorus once the class plays all the scales right.

    Watch on YouTube at 5:57

Practising the blues with the horns, part 1

The Hague, 1989–98 — 26 min On YouTube

  1. 3:00

    Finds where that phrase falls in the blues: bars seven and eight and one beat of bar nine.

    Watch on YouTube at 3:00

  2. 4:08

    Layers on the outline: B♭ major up, down to the four, then a diminished a half step higher.

    Watch on YouTube at 4:08

Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 1

The Hague, 1989–98 — 6 min On YouTube

  1. 0:01

    Indiana in A♭: the last 16 bars called as scales, several down to the third of the next chord.

    Watch on YouTube at 0:01

  2. 0:33

    Horn players should keep manuscript books and write the scales out.

    Watch on YouTube at 0:33

  3. 1:08

    Any piece you want to learn, you can at least learn its scales.

    Watch on YouTube at 1:08

Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 2

The Hague, 1989–98 — 2 min On YouTube

  1. 0:14

    More Indiana calls: E♭7 up and down, D♭ major up, G♭7 up, then back to the top.

    Watch on YouTube at 0:14

Major scales on the bridge of Cherokee

The Hague, 1989–98 — 5 min On YouTube

  1. 0:35

    Cherokee bridge: B, A and G major scales, then straight into C7 and F7.

    Watch on YouTube at 0:35

The 1998 workshop, part 3

The Hague, 1989–98 — 76 min On YouTube

  1. 1:07:53

    1998 workshop: the Cherokee bridge called as F♯7, B major, E7, A major, G major, C7, F7.

    Watch on YouTube at 1:07:53

  2. 1:10:07

    Cherokee bridge with a rule added: at the fourth, play the second and go chromatic to the third.

    Watch on YouTube at 1:10:07

From the lessons4 lessons, 7 points

Notes taken from Barry’s classes, each tied to the moment it comes from.

The blues is more than one chord per bar

  1. Exercise

    The simplest scale plan for a blues in B flat, which Barry expects you to know just that simply before any hip stuff: B flat 7 up; E flat 7 up; B flat 7 up and down; E flat 7 up and down; B flat major up and down to the third of G; F7 up and down; B flat major up; F7 up. He warned a student who goofed to be sure to play B flat major where the plan calls for it.

    Practising the blues with the horns, part 23:584:31

  2. Idea

    Barry rejects the idea that a blues in A flat just sits on A flat 7 for a full measure. The opening moves A flat, A flat 7, then D flat, and the four chord can also be D flat minor or D diminished (the raised-four diminished). The blues is more than one chord per measure, and he notes that the start of Cherokee works almost the same way as this I-to-IV material.

    The 1998 workshop, part 315:4316:151:03:45

Indiana in A flat: learning a tune through its scales

  1. Exercise

    The last 16 bars of Indiana in A flat as scales: A flat major up and down, landing on the third of F; B flat 7 up and down; E flat 7 up and down to the third of C; F minor up, E flat 7 down to the third of C (twice); F minor up, B flat 7 down to the third of G; then A flat major up, E flat 7 up, twice.

    Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 10:011:081:44

  2. Idea

    The method is to turn the chords into scales run up, down, or up and down, several of them landing on a target note such as the third of a chord. Barry presents it as a way into any piece: take any tune you want to learn and you can at least learn its scales from it.

    Scales on Indiana in A-flat, part 11:08

Cherokee: the bridge

  1. Idea

    The class played Cherokee in B flat with the melody. Barry outlined the bridge as a chain of dominants resolving to majors: F sharp 7 to B major, E7 to A major, then on to G major, then C7 and F7 leading back to the last section. He then had the class run scales up and down through the bridge.

    The 1998 workshop, part 31:03:451:07:531:08:26

  2. Exercise

    Drill: on the bridge play a B major scale, then A major, then G major, counting ‘one two and three and four’. The last two chords are dominants, so you no longer play a major scale: right after the G major go straight into C7, then F7. Barry stressed coming in with the C7 immediately after the G major, and had every pianist come up and do it in turn.

    Major scales on the bridge of Cherokee0:351:081:413:06

Perdido: a fast phrase drill

  1. Exercise

    Working on Perdido at a fast tempo, Barry had students play the B flat major chord and come down it, stopping on the second. Then play a chord on the third of B flat major in the right hand and come down chromatically from it; he suggested bringing in the fourth finger. The rhythm starts on the ‘and’, and he counted it ‘and-triplet-three-and-four-and-one’.

    Fast phrases for Perdido0:000:331:082:20

In writing8 notes

What his interviews, his students’ class notes and other teachers’ articles add.

How other teachers explain it6 videos, 58 series episodes

Barry’s students, and their students, teaching it their way. A second opinion, not Barry.

In the teaching series

Episodes on this idea in the long series by other teachers. Each name opens that whole series in order.

Chris Juergensen

Connor Jones

DSG_Studio

Isaac Raz

JazzSkills

Pete Martin

The Labyrinth of Limitations

Things I’ve Learned From Barry Harris

Where the accounts differ1 point
Read further3 links

These open on the web.

Books and paid courses