Barry HarrisThe method

Chris Parks · Stage 6: Line devices

Barry’s chromatic scale on the bridge of Cherokee

Episode 120 · 10:17 · On YouTube · In the lesson player

Chris works Barry’s chromatic scale through the bridge of Cherokee, as Barry did in class. He reduces each ii-V to its dominant scale, builds the chromatic version of each dominant and major scale, then tests himself with set starting notes, triads up and chords down, and pivots, and suggests staying in one position on the guitar.

Step by step

  1. 0:00The bridge of Cherokee: C sharp minor 7, F sharp 7, B major, then the same pattern down a whole step each time.
  2. 0:32Think only the dominant for each ii-V and map a scale outline: F sharp 7 up and down, B major up and down, E7, A major and so on.
  3. 1:20Barry’s chromatic scale: where two scale notes are a whole step apart, add the chromatic note between them; where there is no room, go on to the next scale note.
  4. 2:36On a major scale the places with no room are between third and fourth and between seventh and tonic; run it from the fifth of F sharp 7 into the tonic of B, and so on.
  5. 3:45Start on the flat seven of each dominant, go up a triad, then come down a chord.
  6. 4:54Do the same from the third: up a triad to the flat seven, then down the chord.
  7. 5:32Start from the fourth of F sharp 7 and come down a full chord, ending on the fifth; on B major start from the major seventh.
  8. 7:02Test yourself as Barry had the class do: a triad down from the fourth, then pivot.
  9. 8:49Use any song, like I Got Rhythm; on guitar, try to stay in one position through the keys.

Barry’s own words on this

6.10 Barry’s chromatic scale (chromatic runs with chord tones on the beat)4.4 Scale outlines8.1 Put the ii chord away

In the course

Know it everywhere on the guitarThink the dominant: put the ii awayScale outlinesBarry’s chromatic scale

Transcript

  1. 0:00Hello and welcome to episode 120 of Things I Learned from Barry Harris. And today I thought we would discuss Barry’s chromatic scale. And we’d use it in, I thought a nice place to use it would be the bridge of Cherokee. And he used to work on this too, like he would put this particular chromatic scale in the bridge of Cherokee. So for those of you that don’t know, the bridge of Cherokee is going to be C-sharp-minor 7 to F-sharp-7 to B-major. Then it’s going to do the same thing down a whole step.
  2. 0:32B-minor to E-7 to A-major. A-minor to D-7 to G-major. G-minor to C-7. It doesn’t go to F-major. Then it goes C-minor to F-7 to get you back to B-flat. So, but as Barry people, we know when we see C-sharp-minor 7 to F-sharp-7, we just have to think F-sharp-7 scale. And then we have B-major scale. And then again for the Bm7 to E7 we just have E7 scale and so on. So let’s take you through maybe the scale outline. It would be F sharp 7 up and down, B major up and down, E7 up and down, A major up and down, D7 up and down, G major up and down, C7 up and down, F7 up and down.
  3. 1:20down. That would be the scale outline. Now what I mean by Barrett’s chromatic scale, for those of you that don’t know, it’s anytime you play a scale and you have a whole step between notes, you’re going to put that chromatic in between. So between F sharp and G sharp, you’re going to put it. In between the second and third, you have a half step, so you’ll put it. In between the third and the fourth, you don’t have a half step, so you’re going have to insert one and the inserted note is going to be the scale tone so it’s going to be this so in between the three and four you have to put the five and then four is going to go
  4. 1:58to the chromatic to five five goes to six six goes uh um doesn’t have a chromatic so you have to jump up and play tonic to the flat seventh and then seven chromatic to tonic it’s totally chromatic so here’s the scale. One more time. It does exactly the same thing backwards. So then the same one would be for B major. Here’s B major. So it would still be the same idea of putting the half steps
  5. 2:36where they can be put, but then when you have the two spots, and in the case of a major scale, it’s between the three and the four, and the major seven and the tonic, you have to jump up and use the next scale tone. So it would be this. So. So maybe let’s try it. Let’s try from the F7, we’re going to try it from the 5th, we’ll say. And then we’ll start from the tonic of the B major. Same thing from the 5th of the E7 now.
  6. 3:10and then the root of the A major. So let’s try that. One, two, three, four. Pretty.
  7. 3:45Very pretty. Now maybe let’s do something different. Maybe let’s do... Let’s start on the flat 7th of the F sharp 7 or the dominant. Let’s just go up... Let’s go up a triad, which would be... So we’ll say... And then when we get up to that last note of the triad, let’s come down a chord. So let’s say... And now let’s do the same thing starting, let’s say, from the third of the B major. So let’s do it from the flat seven.
  8. 4:21One, two, three. B major. Flat seven B. A major. Flat seven D. Third of G. flat 7th to C flat 7th to F yeah it works beautifully so not that you’re necessarily going to play like this long a phrase
  9. 4:54but these are really beautiful to just throw in anytime you want so wow that was starting from the flat 7th what if we did starting from the 3rd Yeah, let’s do that. So it’s the same idea. We’ll start on the third, and then we’ll go up a triad to the flat seventh. And then when we get to the flat seventh, we’ll come down our chord. And then maybe we’ll start from the tonic. Let’s see. I like that.
  10. 5:32Last one. It’s beautiful stuff. Beautiful stuff. Why don’t we do... Let’s do down. Maybe we’ll start down. Let’s start down from the fourth. I got it. That’s a perfect one. So we’re going to start from the F-sharp 7, or the dominant. We’re going to start from the 4th.
  11. 6:10And we’re going to come down a full chord. So we’re going to start on the 4th, and then we’re going to actually end on the 5th. So it’ll be... And then we’ll do the same thing for the B major. We’ll start from the major 7. And then it’ll be... So it’s basically doing this. And then for the B major. So let’s try that. One, two, three, four. Works beautifully.
  12. 7:02So all these different ways and these are kind of like the interesting ways that Barry would have us practice them in class But of course it would just come off the top of his head He would say why don’t you try this? Why don’t you try this? But these are ways that you can really see if you know the scale well or not. Just test yourself Like even if we just did a triad down That’s a nice one Oh, that’s a nice one. So let’s do a triad down from the fourth And when we get here, we’re going to pivot.
  13. 7:37That’s pretty. So now let’s start on the major 7 for the B major. And we’re going to do the same thing, a triad down. And then we get to the last note of the triad. We’re going to pivot a chord. I love that. Ah. Sorry about that. And then... Those are... And then... That’s a pretty one though.
  14. 8:17Very pretty. So nice. So many nice things. So it’s just a little example of how you can take this scale. Now, you could do this with any song. Just take it and just give yourself like a little test. Say, hey, how well do I know this? You could do it with I Got Rhythm.
  15. 8:49You could do it with anything. I like, and I used to love it when Barry would use Cherokee, because obviously Cherokee, the bridge goes into so many different keys. So it’s really nice. It kind of gives yourself a test. Now, as guitar players, we should really try to see, like, okay, here’s F-sharp 7, B major. But now, instead of going here, we should maybe do, instead of going to this same place, maybe we should stay in the same fingering.
  16. 9:21So let’s try. And now. And then, so you see you try to stay in the same position. See how I was kind of, I messed up a bunch of times. But that means I got to really see it in the same position. That’s a great thing for guitar players to have to work on. But one step at a time. But anyway, I just thought I would make this quick video about that because I’ve been thinking about this tune. And I’ve been thinking about how we used to work on it at Barry’s and it was so helpful.
  17. 9:59And again, like all Barry’s things, it’s not just going to be helpful for this tune. It’s going to be helpful in general to any music that you’re thinking of. Anytime you’re thinking of a dominant chord or a major chord. So until next time, enjoy practicing your, or Barry’s beautiful chromatic scale.