Barry Harris Dyads, Counterpoint and the “Off Chord”

[Navdeep_Singh]

How to generate improvised lines that generate a V7 using wide and close intervals from only the notes of the “Off Chord”

BARRY HARRIS studies on the “Off-chord” (the diminished chord associated with each Major or minor 6th chord) and creating possible dissonance that can be resolved by consonance-tension that is released, creating dyads of wider or closer intervals (i.e, can even be a form of improvised counterpoint) . (1) take any four notes of the diminished chord (e.g, B° associated with C6–the notes are B, D, F, Ab) (2) create dyads that can be played as double stops or as continuous lines (or both) by moving any note associated with the B° either forwards or backwards by (A) minor 3; (B) major 6; (C) minor 10th; (D). Major 12th. (E). Tritone; (F). #11. This offers flexibility in direction of the line (ascending or descending) and both wider and closer intervals, given the octave displacement of the minor 3rd and major 6th and the tritone); (3) keep going as much as you like, in whatever direction you like, with whatever internal you like, and resolve to the C6 at any time, to create a kind of elongated V7-I resolution.



There are no etudes to write out you can make up stuff on the spot if you know your intervals.

Three stop process:
1. Pick a note from the off chord
2. Pick a direction (ascending or descending)
3, Pick an interval from either m3, b5, M6, m10, #11, M12.

Rinse and repeat,

E.g . Start from the leading tone (B)
P12—-> m3 UP——>b5 DOWN- m10 DOWN—M6 UP-#11 down etc etc

[pauln]

Is that what's happening with the descending diminished at 1:41?

[setemupjoe]

I think you mean major 13, not 12. The major 13 is the major 6 an octave higher.

[joe2758]

I know you dont usually make videos, but do you think you could notate something to show? Difficult for me to understand in this style of teaching

[Navdeep_Singh]

I know you dont usually make videos, but do you think you could notate something to show? Difficult for me to understand in this style of teaching

I don’t really have a music notation program handy, But I’ll try to break it down into the most simple components:

1, The Barry Harris 6th diminished system means there is a single diminished associated with a Major or minor 6th chord. Thus, for C6, there is Bdim, Because the notes that make up a dim chord are symmetrical (they go up in m3), Bdim = Ddim=Fdim=Abdim. So, the movement from one note to the next is m3 (B to D), The movement to the 3rd note of the series is a tritone, or b5 (B to F) The movement from B to Ab is a M6.

2. So, from any note of a Dim chord, in order to move to the other notes in in the close voiced dim chord, you can move in three intervals: m3-b5-M6.
3. When you change over from a closed voice dim chord to a more open voiced dim chord and allow for octave displacement, you add an octave to these values : (m10, #11, M13) (yes, sorry for the original typo, it should have been M13, not P12).
4. So, you can move, ether ascending of descending, in terms of the 4 notes of the dim chord, m3-m10-b5-#11-M6-M13. Any such movement staring from a note of the dim chord will land you on another note of the dim chord.
5. The best way I can visualize it is with the instrument, take the note B and try moving it by each such interval. You’ll land on some sort of D-F-Ab. But with noticeable differences in internals.
6.The best way to practice and hear this is as practicing six separate double stops.
7.Once you get this down, all you have to do is start on a dim note of the dim chord, pick a direction, and pick one of the intervals. You’re playing lines of various intervals that all comprise a kind of V7, as that is the function of the dim chord in Barry’s system.

[joe2758]

ah alright got it

[Christian Miller]

ah alright got it

Can you do a vid haha


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[joe2758]

Can you do a vid haha


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That's your job!

[Christian Miller]

That's your job!

I can’t work it out from the description


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[joe2758]

To me it sounds like he is suggesting playing the notes of a dim 7 chord in two note intervals, but varying the intervals. Also pointing out the symmetry of dim 7. The Barry Harris part seems to be when you're done, resolve it to a 6th chord.

[Christian Miller]

There's a bit like that in invention 13

[joe2758]

That's impression I got except just the 8th notes. Not speaking for Navdeep of course.

[Navdeep_Singh]

To me it sounds like he is suggesting playing the notes of a dim 7 chord in two note intervals, but varying the intervals. Also pointing out the symmetry of dim 7. The Barry Harris part seems to be when you're done, resolve it to a 6th chord.

basically. You can create a long long line or play with dyads just exhausting the combinations and permutations of all getting to all four notes of the dm chord, from each chord of the dim chord. It means, basically, really internalizing those 6 dyads. A useful exercise also in terms of breaking away from arpeggiating grips.