Volume I · FoundationsStage 4 of 15
4
Running scales over tunes
How Barry calls a scale, the major/dominant identity, minor scales, and scale outlines for whole song forms.
- 4.1 How Barry calls a scale (tonic to seventh, up/down/up and down) When Barry calls a scale, it runs from the tonic to the seventh, never to the octave: ‘up’ climbs to the seventh, ‘down’ starts on the seventh, ‘up and down’ does both. These calls are his units for laying a tune out as scales.
- 4.2 Every dominant 7th scale is a major scale Think dominant A dominant seventh scale is a major scale started on its fifth degree: the F7 scale is B♭ major played from F to E♭. So Barry outlines tunes mostly with two kinds of scale, major and dominant, and leans on the dominant.
- 4.3 Minor Harmonic minor and the minor 6th sound (Barry avoided melodic-minor outlines) Over a minor ii–V Barry ran the dominant scale a minor third above the V down to the V’s third, giving the notes of harmonic minor. A tonic minor took the minor sixth diminished scale; Chris Parks recalls no melodic minor in his outlines.
- 4.4 Scale outlines Mapping 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.