Barry's Chromatic Scale

For this episode, we're going to look at a way to make beautiful chromatic lines. If you've already learned about
Barry's chromatic scale, you still might find some things of interest here, as we discuss it's application to the 6th
diminished scales.

To begin the topic, I'd like to pose a musical problem. Suppose we want to take this melodic motive:

& ˙ ˙

and expand upon it by "filling it in" chromatically, while, at the same time, keeping the basic rhythmic placement
of the third intact (i.e. keeping the C and the E on beats). Something like this seems relatively straightforward:

& œ #œ œ #œ ˙

as we transpose the idea through, say, a major scale (we don't only use the 6th diminished scales, of course!), we'll find
that the "problem" cannot be consistently solved by the same behavior. We fill in the notes but end up landing on a weak beat
remember that the goal was to preserve the rhythmic feel of the original motivic skeleton

& n˙ ˙ Ó
œ #œ œ œ
oops. . .

a big part of Barry Harris's theories is devoted to learning to confidently express our rhythmic intention. In melodic
improvisation and composition, the metric placement and rhythmic emphasis of pitches is a big part of how meaning
is conveyed. In other words, we have to learn to play in time, as we chain small ideas into small, and then larger, phrases.
As with all of Barry's melodic teaching, he shows us wonderful ways of playing in time. His chromatic scale is unique, in
that it changes depending on what diatonic scale we are implying.

The idea is simple and elegant: add a rhythmical note in between each note. If there is two notes in the diatonic scale are
already a half step apart (thus making it impossible to play a note in between them within the standard 12 notes of the
chromatic array), we simply play the next diatonic scale degree above the destination note. So our "problem" is solved
like this:

& n˙ ˙ œ #œ œ œ ˙
2

And here is the full Cmajor scale, in thirds, with chromatic fill ins

& ˙ 1
˙ œ # œ œ#œ ˙ 1 n˙ ˙ 2 œ#œ œ œ ˙ 4
˙ ˙
4
œ œ œ#œ ˙
4 4
1 2 1 1 2 3
2 1 2 3 4 4 3 4

˙ ˙ œ #œ œ #œ ˙ ˙
& n˙
2
1 œ #œ œ #œ ˙
2 3 4 -4
1
n˙ 4
3
4 1 2
3
n˙
1
4

-4

4 1 2 3
2 1 1 3 4 1 3 ˙ œ #œ œ #œ ˙
3 4
& œ #œ œ œ ˙
1 2 3 4
˙ 2 ˙ œ œ œ #œ ˙
2 n˙

Putting all this together, we get Barry's chromatic scale, over a C major scale

2 4
& n œ # œ nœ#œ œ œ œ#œ œ#œ œ#œ œ nœ nœ 3 1 2
3 œ œ œ bœ nœ bœ nœ bœ œ nœ
œ bœ œ bœ œ
4 1 2 4
4 1
1 2 3

The key to this is to just watch out for the half steps in the diatonic scale. Here it is on a C mixolydian scale

4
& œ # œ nœ#œ nœ œ œ#œ œ#œ œ nœ bœ nœ œ œ nœ bœ œ œ bœ nœ bœ œ nœ
2 3
4
1
4 1 2 3 4
1 œ bœ œ bœ œ
1 2 3 4

I will discuss Barry's "ABC's" in another episode soon, but here is one of them (triads in the scale), followed by
the chromatic scale version (staying in C mixolydian)

& ˙ w w
1
n˙ 2
4 œ # œ œ #œ œ œ œ #œ w
1 2 3 4 1
4 2 3 4 ˙
4
˙
2
1

etc. . .

4
bw œ 2

œ œ œ#œ œ#œ œ bw
1
& œ#œ œ œ œ#œ œ#œ w 4 1 ˙ ˙
4
2
4 2 3 4 4

4 2 3 -4
4 -4 1 1 1
 3
Now, for something a bit different, we'll apply the chromatic scale concept to a C minor 6th diminished scale. To do
this, we have to remind ourselves of where the half steps are, and simply apply the rhythmic concept of "generalized
half steps"

The C minor 6th diminished scale

C Minor 6

& œ œ #œ œ œ w
œ bœ œ

B diminished 7

The key point that we have to be aware of is the odd part of the scale where we have a cluster of 3 chromatic notes,
in this case G, G#, and A. To use the concept and get the desired effect, we simply treat these as a diatonic scale

the odd part: a chormatic cluster

& œ #œ œ œ

Here's how the full chromatic scale over Cminor 6 diminished looks. Pay close attention that "odd" part:

These are all "diatonic" steps, in a general sense

2
œ œ #œ œ œ #œ œ œ
4
& œ # œ œ œ bœ nœ œ #œ 1 4
-4 1 2 3 1 4 3 1 2 3 w
1 2 3

While a player could play the whole scale, I'm finding these chromatic runs to be really cool in portions connecting
other ideas

CIII CII
4
œ œ #-1
œ œ œ bœ™2
œ œ #œ œ 2 4 1 3 3
2 1
n˙˙ ™™ 2
œ
& œœ 1
#œ œ
œ n œœ 1
bœ bœ 1 1 4
1
3
4 bœ œ nœ Œ 1 3
4
œ b œ ˙˙ ™™
0 1
2 3 2
C minor 6 diminished Gb minor 6 B flat major 6th with borrowed notes
(F7) Tritone substition B mixolydian or
(F7) F major 6 diminished over Bflat major

The "chromatic" notes insure that we are, dependably, alternating between the 6th chord and the diminished chord,
allowing us to play these chromatic lines while harmonizing with chords or little countrapuntal countermelodies

4
œ œ #œ nœ n œ #œœ œ 4 2 4 3 1 4 2 4 4
œ œ ˙™ 4

œ œ #˙˙˙ ™™™
3
œ -1 œ b œ nœ œ b œ 1 2 1 2

& œœ #œœ nœœ œ bœœ #œ œ

1
4
2œ nœ œ 4 2 1 2 3 1
1
3
2
3

2
nœ nœ1
3
3
0 1 1
1
4

One more take on starting from A and moving up the C minor 6 diminished with Barry's chromatic concept: incomplete
chords move up the scale to finally diverge into an octave and a drop 2 voicing to end the phrase.

1 -1 4 œ œ #œ
1
-1
œœ 1
4
œ nbnœœœ
1 nœ -1
œœœ #œ n˙˙
1
2
2 4
1
& nœœœ #œ #œœœ
4
1
3 bnœœ
3 œ 3
3
2
4
œ
3
b˙˙ 2
3
2 2
2 2

Barry Harris's chromatic scale is something that we're going to come back to in many manifestations. Something that
I really love about Barry's ideas is that so much of it works on a cellular level, which allows for an organic growth as we
learn to piece together the ideas in ways that we enjoy. These examples are ones that I find beautiful and interesting, but
if you learn the fundamental concepts, you can use them to create musical ideas that are unique to you! There's much more
to come in this series, so please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, or if you feel like there is something
that needs more explaining:)