Barry HarrisThe method

Learn with Chris Parks · Volume III of XIII

3The half-step rules

Barry’s rules for adding half steps so the right notes land on the beat, starting with the dominant scale. They matter more than any named scale.

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Map of this module what each idea builds on
Coming out right: why h…The descending half-ste…The half-step rules for…The half-step rules on …Which rule applies afte…No bebop scale: the hal…Triplets and the half-s…Rhythm, rhythm, rhythmThe scale every way: up…
Ideas in this module 7
  1. 1Coming out right: why half steps
  2. 2The descending half-step rules for the dominant
  3. 3The half-step rules for the major scale
  4. 4The half-step rules on harmonic minor
  5. 5Which rule applies after a run or a leap
  6. 6No bebop scale: the half step is a placeholder
  7. 7Triplets and the half-step rules

Idea 1 of 7

Coming out right: why half steps

Barry’s added half steps are not decoration: they are there so the line stays in rhythm and a scale tone or chord tone falls on the beat instead of the ‘and’. Chris says landing correctly while playing beautifully is most of what improvising needs, and the rules get you out of trouble when you find yourself in the wrong place. That is also why the same phrase needs different half steps depending on whether it starts on or off the beat.

Practise it: When a phrase lands on an off beat instead of a down beat, add a half step and check where you are in the scale.

Builds onRhythm, rhythm, rhythmThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages5.1 Why add a note

More on this 7 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Coming out right, Why half steps: landing right, scale tones on the beat, why we add half steps, rhythmically correct

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 4:245-4-3-2 · Episode 3
    The half-step rules keep you in rhythm and make you land right.
  2. 9:13Thirds, triads, chords and Barry’s chromatic scale · Episode 4
    Adding a chromatic ‘anywhere’ does not always come out right; the method does.
  3. 14:01Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    If a triplet makes you land off the beat, throw in a half step to fix it.
  4. 7:45Major Scale Half-Step Rules · Episode 25
    The rules help you land on certain notes and beats, but are a foundation, not the only way.
  5. 0:00Feeling the And (Donna Lee) · Episode 87
    Half steps and chromatic scales are all about coming out with a scale tone on the beat
  6. 7:23Being free when soloing · Episode 109
    Barry showed ways to come out right, playing scale notes on the beat
  7. 3:23Pivots with a twist: starting them on the ‘and’ · Episode 110
    Starting on the ‘and’ is not wrong; you just have to feel it and come out right

Idea 2 of 7

The descending half-step rules for the dominant

Coming down a dominant scale in eighth notes from a beat, the half steps you add depend on the degree you start on. Odd degrees (1, 3, 5, 7) take one half step (between the tonic and the flat 7) or three (3 to 2, 2 to 1 and 1 to flat 7); even degrees (2, 4, 6) take none or two (2 to 1 and 1 to flat 7). The added notes keep the chord tones landing on the beat; Barry found the rules in Charlie Parker’s solos, and Chris calls them a puzzle piece that takes a while to get together.

Practise it: With a metronome (around 120), play both rules from every degree, each twice, in several guitar positions. Then use the phrases on the blues and the bridge of rhythm changes.

F7
𝄞♭
C3FC4EC5E♭
  1. F
  2. E
  3. E♭
D7
𝄞𝄢♯
C3DC4CD♭
  1. D
  2. C#
  3. C
D7
𝄞♯♯♯
C3GABCDEG♭D♭E♭
  1. E
  2. D#
  3. D
  4. C#
  5. C
  6. B
  7. A
  8. G
  9. F#

Builds onComing out right: why half steps

Barry’s own pages5.3 Dominant 7th scale descending5.1 Why add a note

More on this 39 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Barry’s rules for half steps (dominant), Half-step rules for the dominant scale, Descending half-step rules for the dominant, Descending half-step rules for the dominant scale, Descending half-step rules, half-step rules, descending rules, one half step, three half steps, no half steps, two half steps, Barry’s half-step rules

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 0:00Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    On F7: 1, 3, 5, 7 share one rule; 2, 4, 6 share the other.
  2. 0:37Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    From the tonic: one half step between tonic and seventh.
  3. 1:17Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    The second option: three half steps, and the rules for 2 (none or two half steps).
  4. 3:54Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    How he was taught to practise them: each rule twice from every degree.
  5. 12:12Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    Using the rules on bars 3 and 4 of an F blues.
  6. 6:35Scales and soloing for A Night in Tunisia · Episode 18
    Eb7 rules into D minor 6 in Night in Tunisia: from the tonic, from the second, from the third.
  7. 1:55Soloing on Dominants · Episode 22
    Start on the third of D7, one half step, then pivot a chord; repeat on G7, C7, F7.
  8. 2:36Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    On F7 in Perdido, starting on a down beat, with and without triplets.
  9. 5:58Playing the movement from major to relative minor · Episode 34
    Think of the fifth of F as the tonic of C7 and put one half step between tonic and seven.
  10. 5:42Using the pivot to make lines on I Got Rhythm · Episode 42
    D7 line using two half steps between second and tonic, tonic and seven.
  11. 1:51Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Start on the tonic of D7 and descend with one half step between tonic and 7.
  12. 4:27Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Run up from the tonic to the third and back down: still use the tonic’s rule.
  13. 6:13Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Go up a third (tonic to third), then the next note is the second, so use the second’s rule: two half steps.
  14. 7:37Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Barry made the rules from transcribing Charlie Parker; the half step is a rhythmic placeholder.
  15. 1:17Reversing the rules · Episode 56
    On E flat 7: first rule one half step; from the second none or two.
  16. 1:51Reversing the rules · Episode 56
    Rule for the third: one half step, or three between 3-2, 2-1 and tonic-7.
  17. 2:25Reversing the rules · Episode 56
    Tip: 1, 3, 5 and 7 go together (one or three half steps); 2, 4 and 6 go together (none or two).
  18. 1:21Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Recap of odd and even degrees as the basis for the triplet rules.
  19. 9:14The Tritone · Episode 77
    Start on the third, run up to the fourth and back: one half step, the rule of the starting note.
  20. 0:34Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    D7: odd and even degrees share rules; from the tonic, one half step between tonic and 7
  21. 2:29Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    From the second: no half steps, or two (2 to 1, 1 to b7)
  22. 3:39Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    From the third: one half step, or three (3 to 2, 2 to 1, 1 to 7)
  23. 13:49Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    A few dominant rules give a thousand phrases; the major scale has rules too
  24. 1:16Don’t Be Bored of the Blues · Episode 91
    One half step between tonic and 7 running Bb7 into Eb7
  25. 3:55Do You Know Rhythm Changes? · Episode 101
    Three half steps from the third of F7, then a pivot, over the first two bars of rhythm changes
  26. 2:35Barry is still teaching us beautiful triplets · Episode 107
    D7 from the second, E, with two half steps, down to the third
  27. 1:19What can I do from the 2nd? · Episode 113
    From the second of D7: no half steps, or two half steps.
  28. 0:32Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    F7: odd degrees take one half step (tonic to flat 7) or three (3 to 2, 2 to 1, 1 to flat 7).
  29. 1:08Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    Even degrees (2, 4, 6) take none, or two (2 to 1 and 1 to flat 7).
  30. 2:14Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    Practising each rule from each degree with the metronome on 120.
  31. 4:40Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    They must be in your fingers; there is no time to think ‘I’m on the second’.
  32. 11:45Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    As guitarists, practise them in every position too: brute force.
  33. 0:33Do you know your half-step rules? · Episode 133
    Recap on F7: odd notes one or three half steps, even notes none or two.
  34. 3:06Barry’s secret to playing through changes · Episode 153
    From the 2nd of Bb7: two half steps, between 2nd and tonic and between tonic and flat 7th
  35. 4:01Harmony versus soloing: what you’re getting wrong · Episode 154
    The descending half-step rules alone take a while to get together
  36. 2:29What 5-4-3-2 really means: a reply
    From the major 7th: half steps between 7 and 6 and between 6 and 5, down to 4
  37. 10:26Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    From the 3rd: three half steps to reach the flat 7th, or just one half step
  38. 10:26Scale outlines: the first step to improvising · Episode 163
    From the 2nd, two half steps down to the flat 7th, then a pivot
  39. 1:57What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    ‘Start on the third and come down and put one half step between tonic and seven’, the first rule from the 3rd

Idea 3 of 7

The half-step rules for the major scale

The major scale follows the same odd and even grouping as the dominant, but its basic half step falls between 6 and 5. From 1, 3, 5 or 7 you add one half step (6 to 5) or three (3 to 2, 2 to 1 and 6 to 5); from 2, 4 or 6 you add none or two (2 to 1 and 6 to 5). As on the dominant, the added notes keep the chord tones on the beat in descending lines.

Practise it: Descend from every degree of the major scale in time with each of its rules, then add running up from each degree before coming down.

Line
𝄞♭
C4GABCA♭
  1. C
  2. B
  3. A
  4. A♭
  5. G
Line
𝄞♭♭
C3GABCDA♭D♭
  1. D
  2. D♭
  3. C
  4. B
  5. A
  6. A♭
  7. G

Builds onThe descending half-step rules for the dominant

Barry’s own pages5.2 Major scale descending5.5 Rules from every degree, ascending rules, several added notes, harmonic minor

More on this 9 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Half-step rules for the major scale, Half-step rules on the major scale, half step between six and five, major descending rules

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 0:35Major Scale Half-Step Rules · Episode 25
    The groups 1-3-5-7 and 2-4-6; from the tonic of C, one half step between 6 and 5.
  2. 1:13Major Scale Half-Step Rules · Episode 25
    From the second: no half steps, or two half steps between 2 and 1 and between 6 and 5.
  3. 2:00Major Scale Half-Step Rules · Episode 25
    From the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, each with its two rules.
  4. 4:32Major Scale Half-Step Rules · Episode 25
    Summary of all the major rules.
  5. 2:21Movement: Major to the Sixth Dominant · Episode 35
    Used in a line: from the tonic of F, one half step between 6 and 5, then into 5-4-3-2.
  6. 1:42How to create major lines from scales · Episode 63
    Starting on the tonic of G major: one half step between six and five.
  7. 9:57Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    In major, a triplet into the third uses one half step between six and five.
  8. 10:42Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Rule for 2 and 4 in major: two half steps, between two and one and between six and five.
  9. 0:3816th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    F major from the tonic with one half step between 6 and 5 as the base phrase for 16th-note triplets.

Idea 4 of 7

The half-step rules on harmonic minor

Later in his teaching Barry applied the dominant-scale rules to harmonic minor. Where the rule asks for a half step that already exists as a whole step or more (tonic to major 7, or 3 to 2), you fill it with the scale note above instead: tonic, second, back to the seventh. The rules still put the right notes on the beat.

Practise it: Learn A harmonic minor over two octaves, then play each degree with its rules; take a few you like and make them your own minor riffs.

Line
𝄞♯
C4ABC5A♭
  1. A
  2. B
  3. G#

Builds onThe descending half-step rules for the dominant

Barry’s own pages5.5 Rules from every degree, ascending rules, several added notes, harmonic minor4.3 Minor

More on this 4 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Half-step rules on harmonic minor, dominant rules on harmonic minor

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 1:14Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    A harmonic minor is a minor 6 diminished scale without the major 6.
  2. 1:55Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    From the tonic: no half step between A and G sharp, so play the second in between.
  3. 3:38Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    From the third with three half steps: the fourth fills the gap between 3 and 2.
  4. 4:52Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    The rules from the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.

Idea 5 of 7

Which rule applies after a run or a leap

Barry extends the rules from plain scale runs to phrases. If you run up from a note and come back down, you use the rule for the note you started on; if you leap up a third or more, or come up a chord, the next note you hit going down decides; after a triad up, its top note lands on the beat and takes its own rule. These extensions give many more phrases from the same rules.

Practise it: From every degree, run up to each other degree and come back down with the starting note’s rule. Then do thirds, triads and chords up, each followed by the right rule.

Builds onThe descending half-step rules for the dominant

Barry’s own pages5.5 Rules from every degree, ascending rules, several added notes, harmonic minor5.4 Off the beat, pickups and triplets

More on this 20 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Follow the rule for the note you started on, use the rule for the note you started on, use the rule for the next note descending, the triad takes the rule of its top note, the second rule, up a third, up a triad, up a chord, running up

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 5:36Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    F7: start on the tonic, run up to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, then descend with one half step.
  2. 6:48Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    Run up to the third and use three half steps instead.
  3. 5:13Major Scale Half-Step Rules · Episode 25
    The same rule on C major: tonic run up to the second, third, fourth.
  4. 6:47Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    On harmonic minor: tonic run up to the second, so the second appears twice.
  5. 8:33Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    After a third or a triad, use the rule of the note you land on.
  6. 11:04Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    Starting on the end of a beat reverses the rule.
  7. 1:15Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    Run up scale-wise to any note, then use the rule for the note you started on
  8. 3:05Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    From the second, run up to the 4 or 5 and come down with no half steps or two
  9. 4:25Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    Up a third: use the rule for the next note going down
  10. 5:57Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    Up a fourth or fifth: still the next note descending (a student’s discovery)
  11. 6:32Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    A triad takes the rule of its top note: from the fifth it ends on the 2
  12. 8:23Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    A chord up (note, skip, note...) uses the next note descending
  13. 5:50IV Minor (Just Friends) · Episode 88
    Eb7: start on the tonic, run up to the 4, one half step on the way down, then pivot
  14. 4:40A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    Run up from the tonic to the 2 or 3 in major and keep the tonic’s rule
  15. 4:40Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    Run up from a note and come down with the rule of the note you started on.
  16. 7:28Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    Up a third (F to A): the next note down, G, takes the second’s rule.
  17. 9:29Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    Up a triad (F A C): the last note, the fifth, lands on a downbeat and takes its rule.
  18. 11:11Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    Up a chord: the next note down (the sixth) takes its rule.
  19. 1:09Do you know your half-step rules? · Episode 133
    Up a third: F to A, so G gets no half steps or two.
  20. 5:39Do you know your half-step rules? · Episode 133
    Triad 1, 3, 5: the 5 on top is on the beat, so it gets one half step.

Idea 6 of 7

No bebop scale: the half step is a placeholder

What most people call the bebop scale is just one of Barry’s half steps (tonic to flat 7 on a dominant, 6 to 5 on major), and Barry did not believe in bebop scales; late in his teaching he said the rules matter more than the scales. The added note is a rhythmic placeholder, so what counts is how many notes you add, not which ones. Chris puts other scale notes in the slot, such as the 6th where the major 7th would go or the 4th where the flat 3rd would go, and choosing your own filler notes is one way to sound like yourself while keeping Barry’s rhythm.

Practise it: Pick your own filler notes for one, two and three half steps, run them from every degree on the beat and on the ‘and’, and drop them into a tune such as Autumn Leaves or How High the Moon.

D7
𝄞𝄢♯
C3DC4CD♭
  1. D
  2. C#
  3. C
F7
𝄞♭
C3FC4DE♭
  1. F
  2. D
  3. E♭
F7
𝄞♭♭♭
C4DFGAC5E♭G♭B♭
  1. A
  2. B♭
  3. G
  4. G♭
  5. F
  6. D
  7. E♭

Builds onThe descending half-step rules for the dominantThe half-step rules for the major scale

Barry’s own pages5.6 The added note need not be a half step5.1 Why add a note0.3 Rules matter more than scales; everything by logic15.2 Bebop, tradition, and what is wrong with jazz education

More on this 24 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called There is no such thing as a bebop scale, The half step is a rhythmic placeholder, Limitless half-step rules, The rules are more important than the scales, rhythmic placeholder, the half step can go anywhere, a new bebop scale, move the half step, rhythmic placeholders, twisting the rules

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 7:27Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    Barry doesn’t use the bebop scale; it is too limiting.
  2. 14:40Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    There is no bebop scale or bebop major scale, only F7 scale or B flat major.
  3. 12:19Half-Step Rules for Harmonic Minor · Episode 29
    ‘The rules are more important than the scales’, applied here to harmonic minor.
  4. 2:26Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Chris’s variation: instead of the major seventh between tonic and 7, use the sixth.
  5. 8:45Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Applying the ‘use the six’ idea to the rules from the second and third.
  6. 0:03There is no such thing as a bebop scale · Episode 54
    What people call the bebop scale: D7 descending with C sharp between D and C.
  7. 1:50There is no such thing as a bebop scale · Episode 54
    Barry: it is a rhythmic placeholder; boppers also put half steps between 3-2 and 2-1.
  8. 2:27There is no such thing as a bebop scale · Episode 54
    Make the placeholder the second, then the third, the fourth, and so on.
  9. 3:04There is no such thing as a bebop scale · Episode 54
    Or make the sixth the extra note; used on D7 going to G major.
  10. 5:37There is no such thing as a bebop scale · Episode 54
    From the third with three half steps: what scale would you call that?
  11. 6:45There is no such thing as a bebop scale · Episode 54
    Barry: never learn something that limits you to one thing.
  12. 2:17How to create major lines from scales · Episode 63
    In G major the half step is a placeholder: start on the tonic and insert the second instead.
  13. 2:53How to create major lines from scales · Episode 63
    Or jump up to the major seventh when you reach the six.
  14. 0:00A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    The ‘major bebop scale’ in G: half step between 6 and 5
  15. 0:36A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    Barry doesn’t believe in bebop scales; the half step is a rhythmic placeholder
  16. 1:14A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    Instead of the flat 6, jump back up to the 7
  17. 1:56A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    Or drop down to the 4: same rhythm, a different sound
  18. 2:34A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    How High the Moon: G major, C7, F major, Bb7, Eb major, with the new placeholder
  19. 8:37A New ‘Bebop’ Scale · Episode 99
    Put the half step between tonic and 7 using the chromatic scale, or between 4 and 3
  20. 0:44Barry’s limitless half-step rules · Episode 118
    One half step from the tonic of F7 but using D instead of E.
  21. 3:34Barry’s limitless half-step rules · Episode 118
    Three half steps from the third: B-flat between 3 and 2, G-flat between 2 and 1, D between 1 and flat 7.
  22. 4:07Barry’s limitless half-step rules · Episode 118
    The half-step notes are off the beat: they are rhythmic placeholders and can be any note.
  23. 8:59Barry’s limitless half-step rules · Episode 118
    The new rules over Autumn Leaves (C minor to F7, thought of as F7).
  24. 10:41Barry’s limitless half-step rules · Episode 118
    Every Barry student can practise the same rules and sound different.

Idea 7 of 7

Triplets and the half-step rules

A triplet changes which rule applies. An eighth-note triplet between two scale notes shifts the line, so you use the rule of its middle note (the note the triplet goes to); a sixteenth-note triplet only ornaments a note, so you keep the rule of the note you started on. If a phrase no longer lands on the beat after you add a triplet, add or drop a half step.

Practise it: Put a triplet between tonic and 2, 2 and 3, and so on through the scale, applying the right rule each time. Then add an eighth- or sixteenth-note triplet to a phrase you already play on F7 and check that it still comes out right.

Builds onThe descending half-step rules for the dominantWhich rule applies after a run or a leap

Barry’s own pages5.4 Off the beat, pickups and triplets6.9 Triplets in lines (eighth- and sixteenth-note)1.4 Triplets and thinking in six

More on this 25 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Triplets in the half-step rules, Eighth-note triplets, 16th-note triplets, eighth-note triplet, sixteenth-note triplet, triplet rule: use the rule of the middle note

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 8:06Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    Eighth-note triplet between tonic and second on F7: follow the rule for the 2 (no half steps).
  2. 10:07Half-step rules on the dominant scale · Episode 5
    Sixteenth-note triplet: follow the rule for the note you start on.
  3. 3:11Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    Perdido: the same phrase plain, with an eighth-note triplet and with a sixteenth-note triplet.
  4. 6:44Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    From the second, an eighth-note triplet 2-3-2 follows the rule for the third.
  5. 10:03Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    From the third, a triplet between 3 and 4 follows the rule for the four.
  6. 12:44Practicing Triplets · Episode 24
    Triplets also make guitarists see more areas of F7 on the fretboard.
  7. 4:38Playing the movement from major to relative minor · Episode 34
    Starting on the beat instead of off it, an eighth-note triplet makes the phrase come out right.
  8. 14:23Movement: Major to the Sixth Dominant · Episode 35
    A sixteenth-note triplet between 5 and 6, easy on guitar with a hammer-on and pull-off.
  9. 4:10Creating lines on a minor II-V · Episode 38
    A triplet between the second and third on G7 to get away from straight eighths.
  10. 6:36Practising and making lines with the E minor 6th diminished scale · Episode 39
    A triplet between the first note of a chord coming down and the scale note above it.
  11. 3:14Lines on the III, flat III, II Minor Turnaround · Episode 40
    A triplet between the major seventh and tonic of G major.
  12. 6:18Using the pivot to make lines on I Got Rhythm · Episode 42
    16th-note triplets in a D7 line on the I Got Rhythm bridge.
  13. 0:40Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    On F7: a triplet between tonic and second uses the rule for the second.
  14. 2:02Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Between second and third uses the third’s rule (one half step); third and fourth, no half steps.
  15. 2:39Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Fourth and fifth: one half step, or three.
  16. 5:37Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    One F7 triplet phrase used for C minor-F7 and for A half-diminished-D7 in Autumn Leaves; only the resolution changes.
  17. 8:44Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    One of the most famous heads opens with an eighth-note triplet (Donna Lee).
  18. 9:16Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Major rules with triplets: between seven and tonic uses the tonic’s rule.
  19. 12:10Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Triplets change your view of the fretboard.
  20. 0:3816th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    Rule: the triplet keeps the rule of the note you start on; F major from the tonic.
  21. 1:1516th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    Barry’s recitation: triplet on the first beat, then the second, third, fourth.
  22. 2:3516th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    On the second beat: triplet with the next scale note higher.
  23. 3:5316th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    Triplets on several beats at once: one and three, one and four.
  24. 5:1416th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    Take your favourite phrase and add a 16th-note triplet.
  25. 8:0016th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    Barry: triplets of both kinds are missing from the music today.