This entire chord system helped me to understand piano comping and open totally my chord choices. Before discovering Barry Harris concepts, I was always wondering why most jazz guitarists are really stuck with static chords when piano players aren't. Now I know 😀
This is of course the way to improvisation and these videos are a ‘gold mine’ for students of ‘improv’…thanks again Chris! I do have to take variance on the the ‘comping’ theory…although I agree with the artistic portion of the theory. I think that there should be ‘foreground’ and ‘background’ to a solo in that while the soloist is outlining the changes with alterations the comping instruments should be keeping rhythm and not so much ‘outplaying’ the soloist. By the same token when the foreground sounds a bit generic the comping can move out front. These things have to be ‘worked out’ before hand. There seems to be a consensus that the soloist hearing an altered chord should include that in the solo and vis a vis that the comping should take the melodic alterations as chordal ideas. To my way of thinking this is like a landscape painter painting a beautiful blue sky and then painting the forest blue.
I love just sitting with my guitar hand in hand, listening to your videos. You are an absolute gem. Thanks so much for these gold mines. I've been spreading the word of your vids! Cheers, man!
This channel is a joy. Thanks for sharing this knowledge man. A Cmin6 is also a F7 with a C in the bass, it opens interesting possibilities on a blues.
If you are playing a "borrowed" IV chord, such as F6 in context of a C Maj 6 Diminished scale you can play the inversions of the F6, and the Diminished inversions based on the Root of the chord instead of the 7. If you were playing G6 you could do this with the Diminished on the b9.
I'm wondering if you are familiar with what I call "triplet scales", because I feel like since Charlie Parker (check the opening phrase on his solo to Billie's Bounce) and the Tristano sphere played it a lot, I'd imagine Barry Harris had his own say on the matter. What I'm specifically referring to, is grouping C major, D minor, and B major in 1st inversion, so that when it's played in triplets, all the chord tones land on the beat. There are quite a bit of variations you can do with that line of thinking, for example with minor chords and others, but it doesn't work so well with tetrads. In Alan Kingstone's book on Barry, he mentions "Monkisms" which are very similar but not exactly same.
interesting Sir what you mention. which particular version are you referring to about billie's bounce? i have heard 3 different versions played by Bird. which one do you speak of sir?
How awesome would it be to put in into trumpet talk lol! It’s my primary instrument but I’ve learned some guitar to get into chords & writing This information is gold! Often over my head & familiarity but it’s what I hear in my head & it doesn’t have to make sense to sound/feel good
What exactly are drop 2s, 3s, and 4s? Is it adding diatonic double and triple stops to the chord to create voice leading? I have never heard that term.
I like all of your videos! The thing I often find somewhat confusing about m7b5 chords is this: Once you change your thinking of the Am7b5 to Cm6, don't you pretty much get rid of Bb? I've seen Barry talk about Am7b5 in terms of F7 as well for line playing, and depending on the circumstance you could justify B natural or Bb. In chordal playing/comping Bb is pretty dissonant over the Am7b5 compared to B natural, which gives us that melodic minor sound. I'm rambling a bit, but do you understand the source of this confusion? Any thoughts?
@Devan Jackson Right, I'm talking about specifically thinking about the F7 scale over Am7b5 though, which I realize is splitting hairs a bit. This channel has made use of this very idea several times in line playing over minor 2-5's.
I am having the same question: as stated in the video, A half-dim is said to stem from Bb major scale (obviousy containing Bb instead of B), but then the Cmin6 dim scale is used over it, which contains the B instead.
I think that means when the outer voices form an octave. For example C6 drop two, only play the top three voices and then double the tenor voice on top so you have G, A, E, A, instead of C, G, A, E.
@@pieceoffake7443 the 7th chord can be seen as an altered dominant but if you were to harmonize the scale using strictly every other note you'll see that diatonically it's a min7b5 as well...
@@dustincronk2003 At least how I was taught it the 3rd note in the 7th melodic minor mode is a #9 not a b3. So if you harmonize with every other note you get 1 #9 #11 7. Hence why the chord/mode is generally referred to as altered dominant even if those notes are diatonic with a min7b5.
@@dustincronk2003 I don't think taking every other note of each mode makes sense for melodic minor harmony as it does for major scale harmony or harmonic minor. When building lines or voicings the b3 is really important to give it a melodic minor tonality. Hence why e.g. it's common to play the sus b9 for the second mode rather than the min7. If you take the approach you're describing you get min7 on the second degree and dom7 on the 5th which sounds a bit weird in a melodic minor context. Tbh though I think the stuff in this lesson mostly just applies to a (harmonic) minor 2-5-1.
I truly appreciate your work and keep learning a lot with these video, but I can't help every time I watch one them I have the impression that Barry's method is a cult and Barry himself is some kind of religious guru of course just kidding, however the impression is strong
Tearing it up, my friend. Beautiful stuff. So limitless
This entire chord system helped me to understand piano comping and open totally my chord choices. Before discovering Barry Harris concepts, I was always wondering why most jazz guitarists are really stuck with static chords when piano players aren't. Now I know 😀
Very Nice. Making sure that European Barry fans are not getting any sleep tonight.
Exactly, haha
Chris, I met you in 1993 or '94 when a friend told me about Dr. Harris' workshop. You have become a formidable guitarist. Good on you...
This is of course the way to improvisation and these videos are a ‘gold mine’ for students of ‘improv’…thanks again Chris!
I do have to take variance on the the ‘comping’ theory…although I agree with the artistic portion of the theory.
I think that there should be ‘foreground’ and ‘background’ to a solo in that while the soloist is outlining the changes with alterations the comping instruments should be keeping rhythm and not so much ‘outplaying’ the soloist.
By the same token when the foreground sounds a bit generic the comping can move out front.
These things have to be ‘worked out’ before hand.
There seems to be a consensus that the soloist hearing an altered chord should include that in the solo and vis a vis that the comping should take the melodic alterations as chordal ideas.
To my way of thinking this is like a landscape painter painting a beautiful blue sky and then painting the forest blue.
I love just sitting with my guitar hand in hand, listening to your videos. You are an absolute gem. Thanks so much for these gold mines. I've been spreading the word of your vids! Cheers, man!
Beautiful lesson for a beautiful chord sub
This channel is a joy. Thanks for sharing this knowledge man. A Cmin6 is also a F7 with a C in the bass, it opens interesting possibilities on a blues.
Cmin6 or EbMaj 7 #11 or F9 orA-7b5 so Dominant approach to that would be Abdim7 and it which is Bb7 or G7 or E7 or Db7
If you are playing a "borrowed" IV chord, such as F6 in context of a C Maj 6 Diminished scale you can play the inversions of the F6, and the Diminished inversions based on the Root of the chord instead of the 7. If you were playing G6 you could do this with the Diminished on the b9.
Very nice, thanks Chris!
4:35 :simple and awesome
Beautiful playing and teaching! 🎩
Great lesson!
Video episodes ep106 and 108 led me here.
I'm wondering if you are familiar with what I call "triplet scales", because I feel like since Charlie Parker (check the opening phrase on his solo to Billie's Bounce) and the Tristano sphere played it a lot, I'd imagine Barry Harris had his own say on the matter. What I'm specifically referring to, is grouping C major, D minor, and B major in 1st inversion, so that when it's played in triplets, all the chord tones land on the beat. There are quite a bit of variations you can do with that line of thinking, for example with minor chords and others, but it doesn't work so well with tetrads.
In Alan Kingstone's book on Barry, he mentions "Monkisms" which are very similar but not exactly same.
interesting Sir what you mention. which particular version are you referring to about billie's bounce? i have heard 3 different versions played by Bird. which one do you speak of sir?
How awesome would it be to put in into trumpet talk lol!
It’s my primary instrument but I’ve learned some guitar to get into chords & writing
This information is gold!
Often over my head & familiarity but it’s what I hear in my head & it doesn’t have to make sense to sound/feel good
You shpuld write a book, id buy it
That is a beautiful guitar! Was it custom ordered?
What exactly are drop 2s, 3s, and 4s? Is it adding diatonic double and triple stops to the chord to create voice leading? I have never heard that term.
I like all of your videos! The thing I often find somewhat confusing about m7b5 chords is this: Once you change your thinking of the Am7b5 to Cm6, don't you pretty much get rid of Bb? I've seen Barry talk about Am7b5 in terms of F7 as well for line playing, and depending on the circumstance you could justify B natural or Bb. In chordal playing/comping Bb is pretty dissonant over the Am7b5 compared to B natural, which gives us that melodic minor sound. I'm rambling a bit, but do you understand the source of this confusion? Any thoughts?
@Devan Jackson Right, I'm talking about specifically thinking about the F7 scale over Am7b5 though, which I realize is splitting hairs a bit. This channel has made use of this very idea several times in line playing over minor 2-5's.
I am having the same question: as stated in the video, A half-dim is said to stem from Bb major scale (obviousy containing Bb instead of B), but then the Cmin6 dim scale is used over it, which contains the B instead.
That chromatic scale with the chords is heavy
so, so cool. wow! mind blown
Nice video, but you are wrong about one thing. The second degree of any minor key is IIm7b5, except melodic minor.
Cmin6 or EbMaj 7 #11 or F9 orA-7b5 so Dominant approach to that would be Abdim7 and it which is Bb7 or G7 or E7 or Db7 Good Stuff
Russ DeFilippis
HI Chris what is octave chord ? Hope you're doing well Thanks for the new stuff :D
I think that means when the outer voices form an octave. For example C6 drop two, only play the top three voices and then double the tenor voice on top so you have G, A, E, A, instead of C, G, A, E.
I thought he was referring to Shearing voicings. So for example Am7b5 would be voiced as Eb G A C Eb
Aren't the diatonic 6 and seven chords of the melodic minor scale min7b5?
Just the 6. The 7 is an altered chord (which you could play as min7b5 among other options)
@@pieceoffake7443 the 7th chord can be seen as an altered dominant but if you were to harmonize the scale using strictly every other note you'll see that diatonically it's a min7b5 as well...
@@dustincronk2003 At least how I was taught it the 3rd note in the 7th melodic minor mode is a #9 not a b3. So if you harmonize with every other note you get 1 #9 #11 7. Hence why the chord/mode is generally referred to as altered dominant even if those notes are diatonic with a min7b5.
@@pieceoffake7443 I understand the interpretation to an altered chord. I'm merely saying that strictly diatonically speaking it's a min7b5
@@dustincronk2003 I don't think taking every other note of each mode makes sense for melodic minor harmony as it does for major scale harmony or harmonic minor.
When building lines or voicings the b3 is really important to give it a melodic minor tonality. Hence why e.g. it's common to play the sus b9 for the second mode rather than the min7. If you take the approach you're describing you get min7 on the second degree and dom7 on the 5th which sounds a bit weird in a melodic minor context.
Tbh though I think the stuff in this lesson mostly just applies to a (harmonic) minor 2-5-1.
The only guitar accompanist I've heard consistently play drop2 inversions and voice leading behind a guitar soloist is Bob Weir.
Killer stuff…but why aren’t we talking about the pencil sharpener?
I truly appreciate your work and keep learning a lot with these video, but I can't help every time I watch one them I have the impression that Barry's method is a cult and Barry himself is some kind of religious guru
of course just kidding, however the impression is strong