Barry HarrisThe method

Learn with Chris Parks · Volume I of XIII

1Start here: Barry’s language and the raw materials

Play in time, learn the words Barry uses, and get the basic scale exercises into your fingers. Everything later is built from these pieces.

Show
Map of this module what each idea builds on
Rhythm, rhythm, rhythmWe're eighth-note musicUp, down, and up and do…The scale every way: up…Scale-wise runs of any …ThirdsTriads up and down the …Chord up: Barry's 'chor…Five-note chordsChord up, scale downMove it in fourthsTake it up every degree…Know it everywhere on t…Puzzle pieces
Ideas in this module 14
  1. 1Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm
  2. 2We’re eighth-note music
  3. 3Up, down, and up and down
  4. 4The scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords
  5. 5Scale-wise runs of any length
  6. 6Thirds
  7. 7Triads up and down the scale
  8. 8Chord up: Barry’s ‘chord’
  9. 9Five-note chords
  10. 10Chord up, scale down
  11. 11Move it in fourths
  12. 12Take it up every degree of the scale
  13. 13Know it everywhere on the guitar
  14. 14Puzzle pieces

Idea 1 of 14

Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm

Rhythm is the thing Barry focuses on most: scales and lines must be played in time, and every rule in the method exists to keep you rhythmically correct. Chris practises with the metronome on 2 and 4, so 80 feels like 160, and taps 1 and 3.

Practise it: Practise every scale outline and line with the metronome on 2 and 4, slowly at first, then push the tempo.

Barry’s own pages1.1 Rhythm comes first1.2 Swing by yourself; hold the time

More on this 5 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called metronome on 2 and 4, keep it rhythmically accurate

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 2:37Scales on the blues · Episode 1
    Rhythm is Barry’s number one focus; metronome on 70 on 2 and 4.
  2. 5:05Scales for I Got Rhythm · Episode 2
    80 on 2 and 4 is really 160; keep pushing.
  3. 16:13Thirds, triads, chords and Barry’s chromatic scale · Episode 4
    Variations are fine as long as they stay rhythmically accurate.
  4. 4:45Scales for Cherokee · Episode 8
    Cherokee at 100 on 2 and 4, about 200.
  5. 9:23Comping for How High the Moon · Episode 16
    Barry always talks about rhythm, rhythm, rhythm, even when comping.

Idea 2 of 14

We’re eighth-note music

When Chris played a scale with a dotted, ‘jazzy’ swing in his first classes, Barry told him never to do that: the music is played in eighth notes. Transcribing Bird, Bud and Hawkins showed Chris they play straight eighths with accents, not a dotted lilt.

Practise it: Play scales and lines in even eighth notes and check what the masters do by transcribing them.

Barry’s own pages1.1 Rhythm comes first1.3 Feel the ‘ands’14.3 Learn from the masters by ear; study the small things

More on this 4 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Don’t ever do that: we’re eighth-note music, no dotted swing

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 0:38Don’t Ever Do This: Dotted ‘Swing’ Eighths · Episode 62
    Coming from rock, Chris thought a jazzy dotted swing on the B flat major scale made it jazz.
  2. 1:18Don’t Ever Do This: Dotted ‘Swing’ Eighths · Episode 62
    Barry: ‘Don’t ever do that. We play eighth note music.’
  3. 2:37Don’t Ever Do This: Dotted ‘Swing’ Eighths · Episode 62
    Transcribing Bird, Bud Powell and Coleman Hawkins: straight eighths with accents, never that.
  4. 3:20Don’t Ever Do This: Dotted ‘Swing’ Eighths · Episode 62
    Many online lessons teach swung eighths; Barry doesn’t believe in it.

Idea 3 of 14

Up, down, and up and down

When Barry says play a scale ‘up’, he means from the tonic to the seventh only, not tonic to tonic; ‘up and down’ goes to the seventh and back; ‘down’ starts on the seventh. Minor 6 scales go up to the major 6th, and the eight-note sixth-diminished scales go up to the tonic. Knowing this vocabulary is what lets you follow him in class.

Practise it: Practise each scale strictly as called (tonic to seventh) so the phrases fit the bar lengths of the tune.

Barry’s own pages0.2 Barry’s vocabulary4.1 How Barry calls a scale (tonic to seventh, up/down/up and down)

More on this 5 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Up, down, up and down, tonic to seven, Barry’s scale vocabulary, running scales

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 1:12Scales on the blues · Episode 1
    A C7 scale ‘up’ is C up to B flat, not C to C.
  2. 5:59Barry’s four scales of chords · Episode 6
    The G minor 6 diminished scale has eight notes, so it is played up to the tonic.
  3. 0:00Scales and soloing for A Night in Tunisia · Episode 18
    Eb7 tonic to seventh; D minor 6 goes tonic to major 6.
  4. 0:38First 4 Bars of I Got Rhythm · Episode 20
    Reminder that Barry only takes the major scale up to the major 7 and F7 up to the 7.
  5. 2:50Playing the movement from major to relative minor · Episode 34
    F major ‘up’ always goes to the major 7th only; C7 ‘down’ starts on the flat 7th.

Idea 4 of 14

The scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s basic practice on any scale is to play it up and down, then in thirds (play a note, skip a note), in triads and in four-note ‘chords’, each up and down from every degree, and then with a half step below each group. These are the raw materials nearly every phrase in the series is built from; the half-step rules, pivots and Barry’s chromatic scale are all laid on top of them, so they need to be in your fingers first.

Practise it: On each scale you use (major, dominant, minor 6 diminished), play it up and down, in thirds, triads and chords, then add a half step below each group. Do it in every key and everywhere on the instrument.

Barry’s own pages3.1 The raw materials14.2 Every key, every degree, every way14.1 Start with the basics; practise slowly, exactly, in time; repeat until it is yours6.3 Chords as lines

More on this 26 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Scale up and down, thirds, triads, chords, What you have to know on every scale, Thirds, triads and chords up the scale, the basic scale exercises, a chord is note, skip, note, skip, note, skip, note, scale up and down, in thirds, in triads, in chords

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 0:37Thirds, triads, chords and Barry’s chromatic scale · Episode 4
    B flat major in thirds, then triads (repeating the second note), then four-note chords, up and down.
  2. 6:03Thirds, triads, chords and Barry’s chromatic scale · Episode 4
    Do the same on dominant scales: D7, G7, C7, F7 for the rhythm bridge.
  3. 6:28Barry’s four scales of chords · Episode 6
    On the G minor 6 diminished scale one ‘third’ becomes a second because of the extra flat 6.
  4. 9:44Soloing with the Diminished · Episode 21
    F minor 6 diminished scale in thirds, triads with the middle note repeated, and chords.
  5. 8:21Soloing on Dominants · Episode 22
    Know thirds, triads and chords for Ab7 as well as D7 so you can use the tritone.
  6. 2:31Charlie Parker Idea #3 · Episode 33
    Coming down a five-note chord as part of a Charlie Parker phrase.
  7. 4:25Charlie Parker Idea #2 · Episode 32
    Thirds, triads, four-note chords and five-note chords up the G major scale.
  8. 2:25Creating lines on a minor II-V · Episode 38
    For G7 you have to know the scale, scale in thirds, in triads, in chords, with half steps, and the dominant half-step rules.
  9. 2:56Practising and making lines with the E minor 6th diminished scale · Episode 39
    Thirds on the E minor 6 diminished scale: play a note, skip a note; the one from the fifth is really a second but still counts.
  10. 1:22Using the pivot to make lines on I Got Rhythm · Episode 42
    On D7: scale up and down, in thirds, in triads, and in chords (a triad with an extra note).
  11. 8:28Creating lines from Bud Powell ideas · Episode 43
    Triad qualities on each degree of B flat major: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, and minor 7 flat 5 (half-diminished) on the seventh.
  12. 6:54Don’t Think 2-5, Just Think 5 · Episode 57
    Everything you know on F7 (scale, thirds, triads, chords) you also need on its tritone B7.
  13. 0:35How to create lines from scales · Episode 60
    Triads on the D7 scale: start on a note, skip one, play one, skip one, play one, up and down.
  14. 0:00How to create lines from scales, part 2 · Episode 61
    Chords up the D7 scale: four notes, each skipping one scale note.
  15. 0:00How to create major lines from scales · Episode 63
    The same checklist applies to G major or G minor as to D7.
  16. 2:16How to create minor lines · Episode 65
    G minor 6 diminished scale up and down, in thirds, triads and chords, everywhere on the instrument.
  17. 1:22The Tritone · Episode 77
    On E7: scale, thirds, triads, chords, half-step rules, half step below, pivots: all useful on a tritone.
  18. 8:23Barry’s Beautiful Half-Step Rules Continued · Episode 83
    A chord up: play a note, skip a note, four times
  19. 1:42Barry’s scale outline for a C minor blues · Episode 85
    Minor 6 diminished practised like a C major or C7 scale
  20. 2:20Barry’s scale outline for a C minor blues · Episode 85
    A chord is a triad with another note skipped and the next note added
  21. 0:38Feeling the And (Donna Lee) · Episode 87
    Ab major: scales, thirds, triads, chords; get them in your fingers first
  22. 0:35Don’t Be Bored of the Blues · Episode 91
    All the things to know on Bb7 before running it into Eb7
  23. 0:39We Don’t Know D7 · Episode 97
    D7 up and down, in thirds, triads and chords, then with a half step below
  24. 1:57Do You Know Rhythm Changes? · Episode 101
    What you need on Bb major and F7 for rhythm changes
  25. 3:55Pivots are pretty: the minor sixth diminished scale · Episode 105
    Triads with the middle note repeated, a way people play them
  26. 0:34Pivots with a twist: starting them on the ‘and’ · Episode 110
    G major chords up from every degree

Idea 5 of 14

Scale-wise runs of any length

When Barry said ‘play the scale up and down’, he also meant you should be able to run step-wise, with no jumps, for any number of notes from any degree: three, four, five, six or seven. These short runs are among the most-used pieces, often starting on the ‘and’ and leading into a pivot or another piece.

Practise it: From every degree, run three, four, five and six notes up and down, starting on the beat and on the ‘and’.

Builds onThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages4.1 How Barry calls a scale (tonic to seventh, up/down/up and down)14.2 Every key, every degree, every way

More on this 3 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Scale up and down means any number of notes, scale-wise, no jumps, three, four, five, six notes

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 5:22Harmony versus soloing: what you’re getting wrong · Episode 154
    Five or six notes, six notes starting on the ‘and’
  2. 1:55Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    Scale up and down on D7 also means five, six and three notes scale-wise
  3. 4:27Pivots, pivots and more pivots · Episode 161
    Three, four and five notes up and down the F7 scale

Idea 6 of 14

Thirds

A third is play a note, skip a note, play a note, and up and down the scale in thirds is the first exercise after the plain scale. Chris shows that thirds belong in lines, not only in drills, with variations such as a half step below the lower note, starting on the ‘and’, or the note, half step below, note, up a third figure Bird uses. He extends the idea to fourths, fifths and sixths, and on the eight-note scales a ‘third’ can be a second because of the extra note.

Practise it: Play thirds, then fourths, fifths and sixths, up and down every scale, from the beat and from the ‘and’. Then use them to fill a real spot, such as two bars of A flat major into F7 at the start of Donna Lee.

Line
𝄞♭♭♭
C4GACA♭B♭D♭
  1. G
  2. A♭
  3. C
  4. A
  5. B♭
  6. D♭
Line
𝄞
C4EFAC5
  1. F
  2. E
  3. F
  4. A
Line
𝄞
C4DFABC5
  1. D
  2. F
  3. A
  4. B

Builds onThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages3.1 The raw materials6.6 Chromatic pickups and the well-placed half step6.5 Surrounding notes (approach from above and below)

More on this 14 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Scale in thirds and other intervals, fourths, fifths, sixths, scale in thirds, half step below the third, note, half step below, note, up a third

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 2:47Stealing a Bud Powell phrase from Anthropology · Episode 115
    Thirds with a half step below, on each degree, up and down.
  2. 0:40Barry shows us much more than exercises: using thirds · Episode 122
    Barry’s order: scale up and down, then scale in thirds.
  3. 1:18Barry shows us much more than exercises: using thirds · Episode 122
    A half step below the lower note of each third in A-flat: G, A-flat, C; then A, B-flat, D-flat.
  4. 2:23Barry shows us much more than exercises: using thirds · Episode 122
    The same starting with the half step on the ‘and’.
  5. 2:55Barry shows us much more than exercises: using thirds · Episode 122
    Hit the note, a half step below, back to it, then up a third, on every degree.
  6. 3:46Barry shows us much more than exercises: using thirds · Episode 122
    Using the thirds to fill two bars of A-flat major into F7 in Donna Lee.
  7. 1:59Bet you can’t play this: a Charlie Parker phrase · Episode 125
    Bird’s version from the ‘and’: F, E, F, A.
  8. 1:51Do you know your half-step rules? · Episode 133
    Bryce’s half step before the third, starting on the ‘and’, keeps the rule unchanged.
  9. 2:03The scale we never talk about: dominant 7 diminished · Episode 148
    C7 diminished in thirds
  10. 0:33Thirds in pairs: an idea I didn’t think of · Episode 150
    D minor 6 diminished in thirds: D and F, and A to B is a ‘third’ that is really a second
  11. 1:45Thirds in pairs: an idea I didn’t think of · Episode 150
    David’s way: two thirds in a row (D-F with A-B, then two diminished notes)
  12. 2:29Thirds in pairs: an idea I didn’t think of · Episode 150
    Half step below the bottom note, the top note or both notes of each third, played David’s way
  13. 5:02Thirds in pairs: an idea I didn’t think of · Episode 150
    Using it over B half-diminished to E7
  14. 3:12Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    Thirds, then any interval within the scale: fourths, fifths, sixths up and down

Idea 7 of 14

Triads up and down the scale

A triad on every degree of the scale, up and down. Chris shows many variations: repeat the middle note (as Bird did), add a half step below one or two notes, start on the ‘and’, reverse the order, or start from a later note of the triad. On minor 6 diminished some triads include a second, because of the added note.

Practise it: Run triads up and down; then add a half step below the first, middle or top note, or below two notes; then start each on the ‘and’; then disguise them in solos.

Builds onThirds

Barry’s own pages3.1 The raw materials6.6 Chromatic pickups and the well-placed half step1.3 Feel the ‘ands’

More on this 8 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called play a note, skip a note, play a note, skip a note, play a note

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 1:11We don’t know triads · Episode 147
    Triads up A minor 6 diminished: A minor, B diminished, then a ‘third’ that is a second
  2. 1:47We don’t know triads · Episode 147
    Bird’s way: repeat the middle note to make a four-note figure
  3. 2:24We don’t know triads · Episode 147
    Start on A, go a half step below A and back, then up the triad; then on the top note
  4. 4:03We don’t know triads · Episode 147
    Half step below the middle note, then on two notes (A and E, A and C)
  5. 5:19We don’t know triads · Episode 147
    The same variations starting on the ‘and’
  6. 7:45A beautiful Sonny Rollins idea: surrounds in thirds · Episode 149
    The Sonny Rollins surround going down triads instead of thirds
  7. 3:50Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    Triads up and down D7 as a puzzle piece
  8. 5:10What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Sonny Rollins plays the Bb triad from its second note (D, F, then down); taking that up the scale

Idea 8 of 14

Chord up: Barry’s ‘chord’

In Barry’s vocabulary a ‘chord’ played as a line is four notes stacked in thirds from a scale degree (play a note, skip one, and so on), and he would say ‘chord up from the fifth’ without naming its quality. Most people call that an arpeggio, but Barry kept ‘arpeggio’ for a triad with its bottom note repeated on top. Coming up or down a chord from any degree is a basic building block used by Bird and Bud Powell, and knowing the vocabulary is essential for following Barry’s classes.

Practise it: Run a chord up and a chord down from every degree of each scale without naming each chord; then add a half step below the first note, play it as a triplet, and start it on the ‘and’.

Bb7
𝄞♭♭
C3C4DFB♭A♭
  1. B♭
  2. D
  3. F
  4. A♭
D7
𝄢♯
C3DACG♭
  1. D
  2. F#
  3. A
  4. C
F7
𝄞♭
C3FACE♭
  1. F
  2. A
  3. C
  4. E♭

Builds onTriads up and down the scaleUp, down, and up and down

Barry’s own pages0.2 Barry’s vocabulary6.1 Arpeggios on every degree; the three important arpeggios of a dominant scale6.3 Chords as lines

More on this 11 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Barry’s ‘chord’ versus his ‘arpeggio’, Chords up from every degree, chord up, chord down, four-note chord, skip, play, skip

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 5:47What can I do from the 2nd? · Episode 113
    From the second of D7, coming up a chord, also starting on the ‘and’ with a triplet.
  2. 1:42Stealing a Bud Powell phrase from Anthropology · Episode 115
    Chords: play, skip, play, skip; people call these arpeggios but in Barry’s world they are chords.
  3. 2:15Stealing a Bud Powell phrase from Anthropology · Episode 115
    C7 chords up from every degree, then down.
  4. 0:37Bet you can’t play this: a Charlie Parker phrase · Episode 125
    Chords up from every degree of F major with a half step below the first note.
  5. 0:00Three very important arpeggios · Episode 137
    Barry’s terms on D7: thirds, triads, and four-note ‘chords’.
  6. 0:40The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    Chord up from the root of Bb7: Bb, skip, D, skip, F, skip, Ab
  7. 1:59The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    ‘Run a chord up from the fifth’: yes it is F minor 7, but the name hardly matters
  8. 4:18The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    Barry’s arpeggio is a triad with the bottom note on top
  9. 8:04The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    Chris, who only studied with Barry, had never heard these called arpeggios
  10. 4:26Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    The first chord from D7: D F# A C
  11. 1:06Pivots, pivots and more pivots · Episode 161
    F7 chord: F A C Eb, and the same shape from every degree

Idea 9 of 14

Five-note chords

Extend a ‘chord’ (play, skip, play) by one more note to make five notes, as Bird and Bud Powell often did; six-note chords go further still. Starting on the ‘and’ and playing them as triplets gives them a typical bebop shape.

Practise it: Play five-note chords up and down from every degree of the scale, also starting on the ‘and’ as triplets.

Builds onChord up: Barry’s ‘chord’

Barry’s own pages6.3 Chords as lines6.9 Triplets in lines (eighth- and sixteenth-note)

More on this 4 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called six-note chords

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 2:37The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    Five-note chords from Bird and Bud: skip another note and add another
  2. 3:12The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    As triplets starting on the ‘and’, from each degree
  3. 4:18The difference between a chord and an arpeggio · Episode 152
    Six-note chords too
  4. 13:23What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Half step below the first note plus a five-note chord: two puzzle pieces

Idea 10 of 14

Chord up, scale down

Four-note chords from the scale, joined by scale steps, make lines: up a chord, down one scale note, up the next chord; or up a note and down a chord. Starting the chord with a triplet or a half step below gives more variants.

Practise it: Start on the fifth below and alternate up a chord and down a scale note through the scale; then make the first chord a triplet, then add a half step below the next chord’s first note.

Builds onChord up: Barry’s ‘chord’

Barry’s own pages6.3 Chords as lines

More on this 8 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called up a chord, down a scale note, come down a chord

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 4:44Creating lines on a minor II-V · Episode 38
    Start on the second of G7 and come down a chord.
  2. 5:55Practising and making lines with the E minor 6th diminished scale · Episode 39
    Up one note, then down a chord, all the way up the E minor 6 diminished scale.
  3. 7:31Don’t Think 2-5, Just Think 5 · Episode 57
    From the second of B7 (the tritone), come down a chord.
  4. 0:33How to create lines from scales, part 2 · Episode 61
    Starting on A below the D7: up a chord, down a scale note, up another chord.
  5. 1:40How to create lines from scales, part 2 · Episode 61
    Make the first chord into a triplet.
  6. 2:14How to create lines from scales, part 2 · Episode 61
    Put a half step below the first note of each chord, going up and coming down.
  7. 3:21How to create lines from scales, part 2 · Episode 61
    Triplet chord, step down, then a half step below the next chord.
  8. 11:12Starting a solo from any note · Episode 76
    Coming up a chord but skipping its third note.

Idea 11 of 14

Move it in fourths

Barry’s class takes any exercise around all 12 keys by moving up a fourth each time (B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat...). On guitar, a fingering learned in one key also shifts up a fret at a time, which Chris calls the guitarist’s ‘dirty little secret’.

Practise it: After learning an idea in one key, take it through the keys in fourths with the metronome, in one position and then several.

Builds onThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages14.2 Every key, every degree, every way

More on this 5 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called all 12 keys, every key

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 4:595-4-3-2 · Episode 3
    5-4-3-2 in B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, B.
  2. 6:03Thirds, triads, chords and Barry’s chromatic scale · Episode 4
    Scale exercises in every key: B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat.
  3. 3:57Chords in the Major Scale · Episode 26
    The chord-degree exercise should be known in every key, not just C.
  4. 4:54A Charlie Parker Idea: Thirds with a Triplet · Episode 31
    The Bird thirds idea: after A flat do D flat; fingerings shift for A and B flat.
  5. 3:275-4-3-2 in Minor · Episode 37
    Minor 5-4-3-2 from A minor to D minor, G minor, C minor.

Idea 12 of 14

Take it up every degree of the scale

Barry’s habit: whatever you learn (a scale shape, a Bud Powell lick, a Sonny Rollins figure), take it up the scale from every degree, not just through 12 keys. This is just how we already practise thirds, and Chris says it improves your view of the fretboard and trains the ear on sounds you wouldn’t otherwise hear. It often means first working out what the phrase really is.

Practise it: Break a phrase down to its shape, play it from each scale degree up and down, then also in other keys.

Builds onThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages14.2 Every key, every degree, every way

More on this 7 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called take a phrase up the scale, every key, every degree

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 12:33Barry’s most beautiful move: changing key · Episode 146
    Learn the scales of chords in every key
  2. 0:40A beautiful Sonny Rollins idea: surrounds in thirds · Episode 149
    Whatever you do on a scale, take it up the scale (or in fourths)
  3. 9:31A beautiful Sonny Rollins idea: surrounds in thirds · Episode 149
    We already do this with thirds; it helps you see the fretboard and hear new things
  4. 0:34What 5-4-3-2 really means: a reply
    5-4-3-2 practised moving through keys: C, F, Bb and on
  5. 1:47Bud Powell’s chromatic triplet, taken up the scale · Episode 162
    Most teach a lick in every key; Barry would say take it up the scale
  6. 4:33What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Barry: ‘you got to do that up the scale’, so dissect the Rollins phrase first
  7. 10:10What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Taking everything up the degrees of the scale is unbelievably helpful

Idea 13 of 14

Know it everywhere on the guitar

On guitar every scale, chord and phrase lives in many places, and Chris wants each one known in all of them, from different fingers (including the pinky) and across all six strings, rather than in a few fingering boxes. He usually starts inside one span of four or five frets and then extends; a good test is to play a passage that changes key, such as the Cherokee bridge outline, without leaving one position instead of sliding the same shapes down. Pivots, triplets and new starting degrees force position changes and so open up the neck.

Practise it: Play each exercise in at least three positions, including fingerings that start on the pinky. Then play a key-changing passage, such as the rhythm or Cherokee bridge, inside one four- or five-fret area.

Builds onThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages14.2 Every key, every degree, every way

More on this 22 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Seeing it in every position, Seeing the whole fretboard, Playing an outline in one position, staying in one position, string sets, no boxes, one position, positions, the boxes

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 7:30Scales on the blues · Episode 1
    The blues scales within roughly the first five frets.
  2. 5:05Scales for I Got Rhythm · Episode 2
    B flat major from the second finger on the 6th fret, F7 from the pinky on the 8th, frets 5-8.
  3. 9:05Barry’s four scales of chords · Episode 6
    Know the scale in every place; start with one spot first.
  4. 1:13A Charlie Parker Idea: Thirds with a Triplet · Episode 31
    A flat major from the second finger and from the first finger, frets 3 to 8.
  5. 12:34Charlie Parker Idea #2 · Episode 32
    Using the 2nd to 10th fret, three or four positions, for one phrase.
  6. 2:50Playing the movement from major to relative minor · Episode 34
    Know the F major up and C7 down passage in several spots before going further.
  7. 7:10Practising and making lines with the E minor 6th diminished scale · Episode 39
    Fingering boxes are useless: a triplet before a pinky note forces a new fingering.
  8. 2:05Using the pivot to make lines on I Got Rhythm · Episode 42
    Chords up the scale run out of position; pivots fix that.
  9. 13:52The Whole Tone Scale · Episode 44
    Whole-tone fingering: three notes, two notes per string; move it by half steps.
  10. 3:43Practicing the G Minor 6th Diminished Scale · Episode 45
    Single-note shapes that cover all six strings.
  11. 1:15Rules for half steps on the I Got Rhythm bridge · Episode 50
    Keep the phrase in one position instead of moving one fingering around.
  12. 11:50Playing with the family of dominants on All the Things You Are · Episode 59
    Know each dominant scale everywhere, starting on different fingers.
  13. 1:10How to create lines from scales · Episode 60
    D7 triads from the second finger at the fifth fret, from the pinky, from the first finger, from the pinky at the tenth fret.
  14. 9:25Lines Using Drop 2 on Rhythm Changes · Episode 68
    Drop 2s as lines: here guitarists have something over horn players.
  15. 12:10Eighth-Note Triplets in Autumn Leaves and Donna Lee · Episode 73
    Eighth-note triplets make you change position and see the fretboard more completely.
  16. 9:2016th Note Triplets Are Pretty · Episode 74
    Triplets disrupted Chris’s fingering, but helped him see the fretboard.
  17. 11:45Let’s practise together: dominant half-step rules on F7 · Episode 116
    F7 half-step rules from a fingering that starts on the pinky, then in other positions.
  18. 8:49Barry’s chromatic scale on the bridge of Cherokee · Episode 120
    Through the Cherokee bridge, try to stay in the same position instead of moving.
  19. 8:23Bet you can’t play this: a Charlie Parker phrase · Episode 125
    A triplet on the top note makes you change position, for example start on the first finger.
  20. 8:05Half step below is beautiful: C minor 6 diminished · Episode 134
    Different triad fingerings, such as barring the middle note, to manage half steps below.
  21. 3:21Scale outlines: the first step to improvising · Episode 163
    The same two fingerings shifted down whole steps, which Chris did in class
  22. 3:53Scale outlines: the first step to improvising · Episode 163
    At home: the whole outline in one four- or five-fret area

Idea 14 of 14

Puzzle pieces

Chris’s term (not Barry’s) for the small things Barry had students learn on every scale: scale-wise runs of any length, intervals, triads, chords, pivots, half step below, important arpeggios, half-step rules, the chromatic scale, surrounds, nap backs, triplets and space. They are not busywork; a solo is a series of these pieces joined. Unlike a jigsaw, any piece fits any other, so players who know the same pieces still sound different. Some take minutes to learn (thirds) and some take months (the chromatic scale), but each is still only a piece.

Practise it: Learn each piece on every degree of the major, dominant and minor 6 diminished scales, on the beat and on the ‘and’, then join two or three pieces into phrases and keep the combinations you like.

Builds onThe scale every way: up and down, thirds, triads, chords

Barry’s own pages7.2 Building phrases from small pieces (class phrases)7.1 Think in scales and phrases, not chords14.1 Start with the basics; practise slowly, exactly, in time; repeat until it is yours

More on this 13 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called small pieces, smaller pieces, cells

Where Chris teaches it

  1. 5:11Barry’s secret to playing through changes · Episode 153
    What you have to know on Bb7 and on Eb7 before you can connect them
  2. 4:01Harmony versus soloing: what you’re getting wrong · Episode 154
    Scale up and down, thirds, triads, chords, pivots, half-step rules and chromatics are all smaller pieces
  3. 12:14Harmony versus soloing: what you’re getting wrong · Episode 154
    Little puzzle pieces you can fit any way, so we all sound different
  4. 1:53What 5-4-3-2 really means: a reply
    5-4-3-2 phrases are used as connecting pieces, not on their own
  5. 1:39Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    What a puzzle piece is, using the D7 scale; these were never busy exercises
  6. 6:10Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    More pieces: three important arpeggios (D major, A minor, C major), half-step rules, the chromatic scale
  7. 8:20Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    Unlike a real puzzle, all the pieces fit together, and that is what makes you you
  8. 9:45Barry’s secret to soloing: puzzle pieces · Episode 156
    Three pieces: a triad up from the flat 7 on the ‘and’, the half-step rules from the 3rd, and a pivot
  9. 1:10The most important puzzle piece: space · Episode 157
    List of the pieces on Bb7: thirds, triads, chords, pivots, half step below, nap backs, important arpeggios, chromatic scale, half-step rules
  10. 5:33Scale outlines: the first step to improvising · Episode 163
    In a scale outline, everything you know on F#7 is a puzzle piece to connect
  11. 0:36What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Why Chris coined the term: Barry dictated whole choruses in small bite-sized pieces
  12. 11:31What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Scale, thirds, triads are pieces; rhythmic variants are still the same piece
  13. 12:48What is a puzzle piece? · Episode 166
    Half step below the first note plus a chord up is two pieces; add a five-note chord or a nap back for three