Official Barry Harris Thread

**don_oz** · 09-08-2018, 03:18 PM

Barry's classes are basically drinking from the fountain of knowledge of Bebop, it's a beautiful experience!

**joe2758** · 09-08-2018, 03:19 PM

yeah, Christian, correct me if i’m wrong, but i think a couple years ago you said the dvds humbled you.

and that’s coming from a pro musician who can play.

anyway, boring? sometimes. not challenging? i dunno...
edit: not talking about just scales, all the ABCs and added note stuff etc

**tamirgal** · 09-08-2018, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by rlrhett

I still maintain that it would be a useful learning tool to have specific exercises that illustrate and incorporate in a musical context a “4” phrase, for example, or descending added chromatic notes. I am certainly capable of doing that for myself, but the point of learning from others is to share our knowledge, explore things we might miss on our own, and avoid trying to reinvent the wheel.

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Hey,

Have you checked this out?
Ornithology - Barry Harris Transcription - Overview and Analysis.pdf - Google Drive

In think in a way it's kind of what you were looking for. Or at least a start.

I've done lots of Barry transcriptions recently, and am trying to deduce patterns and lines from it. I plan to gather my favorite licks of him together, or maybe write kind of etude out of them.

Cheers

**christianm77** · 09-08-2018, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

yeah, Christian, correct me if i’m wrong, but i think a couple years ago you said the dvds humbled you.

and that’s coming from a pro musician who can play.

anyway, boring? sometimes. not challenging? i dunno...
edit: not talking about just scales, all the ABCs and added note stuff etc

Two years on they are still humbling me! I know more of his stuff now, but there's still so much. Like Graham, I've picked a thing or two and worked on it, but there's so much more...

I don't work purely on BH stuff. But what I have got out of BH makes it hard for me not to recommend it

Being humbled is very much what music is about.

**Tal_175** · 09-08-2018, 03:54 PM

Not to brag but I'm going to a Barry Harris workshop in October. Expecting to get a good beating. I'll be humbled alright. If you're looking for me I'll be in the "Getting Started" section of the forum after October.

**tamirgal** · 09-08-2018, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by tamirgal

Hey,

Have you checked this out?
Ornithology - Barry Harris Transcription - Overview and Analysis.pdf - Google Drive

In think in a way it's kind of what you were looking for. Or at least a start.

Cheers

At the end of that doc there's an annotated transcription of Barry's solo, with lots of pointers to his use of the "4" phrase, his use of half steps, his use of the important arpeggio on the 7th of the dominant, and more...

**grahambop** · 09-08-2018, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by rlrhett

Your suggestion to grab two bar phrases from the transcription and shed them is a good one. I still maintain that it would be a useful learning tool to have specific exercises that illustrate and incorporate in a musical context a “4” phrase, for example, or descending added chromatic notes. I am certainly capable of doing that for myself...(etc)

Then stop complaining and do it!

**rlrhett** · 09-08-2018, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

Then stop complaining and do it!

WTF????!!! Who’s complaining? I’m asking if a resource exists. If that put your panties in a bunch, sit back, pull your thumb out of whatever orifice you jabbed it into, and put clean panties on.

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**joe2758** · 09-08-2018, 07:30 PM

ah he didnt mean anything man, im sure he meant it as an encouragement like “just get out there and do it!”

**rlrhett** · 09-08-2018, 08:48 PM

Ok. Chalk it up to cultural differences in communication. I thought we were having an interesting a productive conversation on ways of practicing this material. I took it as a pointless personal attack meant to cut off a conversation that inexplicably he took exception to. I apologize if I misread the post.

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**Tal_175** · 09-08-2018, 09:29 PM

There are cultures where it's polite tell people to stop complaining. Very colorful world we live in.

**Irwin1993** · 09-08-2018, 10:08 PM

Greetings gentlemen, I am curious for those who have worked with the Barry Harris workshop DVD's if they were fruitful? I realize that results definitly coincide with ones work ethic and time with the material ect. I also realize this is not a substitute for transcribing the masters and studying that way. I am simply wondering if the material specifically from the DVD's(and workbook) clearly explains Barry's concepts and maybe helps facilitate the learning of said concepts.

thanks cats.

**christianm77** · 09-09-2018, 03:33 AM

Banter

**grahambop** · 09-09-2018, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by rlrhett

Ok. Chalk it up to cultural differences in communication. I thought we were having an interesting a productive conversation on ways of practicing this material. I took it as a pointless personal attack meant to cut off a conversation that inexplicably he took exception to. I apologize if I misread the post.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

Sorry, I was temporarily possessed by the spirit of ‘grumpy Barry’ and he told me to tell you to just get on with it!

Seriously, wasn’t meant as an attack. Just suggesting the best solution is to find your own solutions (as others on this thread seem to have done).

It just strikes me that with all these things you have to do the work yourself to apply it to actual tunes. That’s when you really learn something.

**grahambop** · 09-09-2018, 04:59 AM

Originally Posted by rlrhett

WTF????!!! Who’s complaining? I’m asking if a resource exists.

Hey if it helps, a while back I found this interesting thesis/paper by a pianist Vera Marijt, might be of interest. Somehow I managed to get the pdf of the paper from this menu. Don’t know how I did it, as it does not work on the iPad. So suspect you have to use a PC / mouse to get it from the menu options.

Anyway she gives examples of how she applies Barry’s devices etc.

Barry Harris: Exploring the Diminished by Vera Marijt

**tamirgal** · 09-09-2018, 04:59 AM

Originally Posted by Irwin1993

Greetings gentlemen, I am curious for those who have worked with the Barry Harris workshop DVD's if they were fruitful? I realize that results definitly coincide with ones work ethic and time with the material ect. I also realize this is not a substitute for transcribing the masters and studying that way. I am simply wondering if the material specifically from the DVD's(and workbook) clearly explains Barry's concepts and maybe helps facilitate the learning of said concepts.

thanks cats.

I think some concepts are presented clearly, while other concepts you need to dig in in order to figure out the bottom line. Not everything is "user friendly" in there. Barry can get cryptic sometimes. I've watched these DVDs (both volumes) dozens of times, and still get those "ahh" moments when watching again.
I also converted those DVDs to audio, and listening to them occasionally in my car, while singing along without the instrument. This kind of listening also helped me figure out new stuff.

Was it fruitful? I'm still not in the point in time to say that, but I'm optimistic

**grahambop** · 09-09-2018, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by christianm77

Banter

’Sorry old chap, not receiving your banter properly. Over!’

**christianm77** · 09-09-2018, 06:15 AM

Roger, the wizard kite’s gone for an burton over.

**joe2758** · 09-09-2018, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by christianm77

Roger, the wizard kite’s gone for an burton over.

oh now come on that one can’t be real

**christianm77** · 09-09-2018, 08:22 AM

Imagine David Niven saying it

**joe2758** · 09-09-2018, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by christianm77

Imagine David Niven saying it

ok fair enough.

through my best attempts with google it means something like “the expert’s check is dead”

**matt.guitarteacher** · 09-09-2018, 08:37 AM

There seriously needs to be a study group for BH improv basics. Use Chris X's (??) videos (What I learned from Barry Harris) as a template for getting started. Link every video posted in the study group thread back to his original video, to support his channel etc. he and others need more links and exposure anyway.

There've been philosophical objections raised to this in the past, which I believe are somewhat over blown. I mean it needs to be understood that no one's posting BH's actual written material. Simply applying concepts to progressions which aren't copyrighted etc. Harris himself doesn't come across to me as a guy wanting to keep everything under wraps and secret.

Folks who are having trouble getting started with Harris here seem to mostly be hitting walls with just applying it to guitar specifically. I would envision Christian and others answering a lot of that and driving traffic to their own YouTube channels etc.

The forum needs some juice right now anyway, and this is a high interest-level area.

**don_oz** · 09-09-2018, 08:38 AM

This alternate take of ornithology from the same album of the transcription I added here is amazing. The melodies he comes up with in the solo!

**joe2758** · 09-09-2018, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by matt.guitarteacher

There seriously needs to be a study group for BH improv basics. Use that guitarist's videos as a template for getting started. Link every video posted in the thread back to his original, to support his channel etc.

There've been philosophical objections raised to this in the past, which I believe are somewhat over blown. I mean it needs to be understood that no one's posting BH's actual written material. Simply applying concepts to progressions which aren't copyrighted etc. Harris himself doesn't come across to me as a guy wanting to keep everything under wraps in secret.

Folks who are having trouble getting started with Harris here are mostly probably hitting walls with just applying it to guitar specifically. I would envision Christian and others answering a lot of that and driving traffic to their own YouTube channels etc.

The forum needs some juice right now anyway, and this is a high interest-level area.

make it so!

**matt.guitarteacher** · 09-09-2018, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by joe2758

make it so!

It's not going to be me during volleyball season for sure . Already overbooked with raney and day jobs. Needs to be someone really interested in this specifically anyway. People simply want some kind of arbitrary deadline and schedule. I think you start with basic like Chris has outlined in those videos over blues rc etc. then, once you get to certain point, you branch off into tune- specific , like oz is talking about.