The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Barry Harris called the scale for ii V in minor “the minor’s five”. It is an ideal hybrid permutation. It is balanced with an extra added note. Balanced simply means that the chords tones stay on the beat. And we don't learn it up from its root, but instead, down from its 7th to the 3rd of the dominant chord of the moment.

    Charlie Parker featured it numerous times during his solo on "What Is This Thing Called Love"

    It's not just another cool lick. It is the archetypical, ideal permutation of the only hybrid scale outline that perfectly balances over a ii V in minor. Fluency with this scale requires retraining ones thinking and reflexes.

    This hybrid scale can be analyzed as the 5th mode of Harmonic Minor with a very important added extra note. But conceiving of it and implementing it as the 5th mode of Harmonic Minor played down from its 6th degree with the added note is too awkward, in my opinion.

    Harry Likas was the "Technical Editor of "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine and also helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book".

    Attached Images Attached Images The Barry Harris scale for ii V in Minor-woody-n-you-scales-png 
    Last edited by rintincop; 01-28-2022 at 01:54 PM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2
    Another Example
    Attached Images Attached Images The Barry Harris scale for ii V in Minor-autumn-leaves-barry-harris-scale-png 
    Last edited by rintincop; 01-28-2022 at 01:55 PM.

  4. #3
    A third example with "Caravan" using what I'm calling "The Barry Harris ii V in minor scale".
    Harry Likas was the "Technical Editor of "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine and also helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book".

  5. #4

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    Whole half dim scale with a natural 4 instead of a #4.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
    Whole half dim scale with a natural 4 instead of a #4.
    I think that would still be one note off to be a match. I think to be a match you would have to say something like half-whole dim scale with a 4 instead of #4 and a b6 instead of 6. It becomes far removed from a dim scale, IMO. It's no longer symmetrical and unfamiliar. Or 5th mode of harmonic minor with an added note of b7.

  7. #6

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    You're right. It would be closer to mix flat 6; with a b2 and #2 instead of a natural 2.

    For C7, the notes would be: C,Db,Eb,E,F,G,Ab,Bb,C

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
    You're right. It would be closer to mix flat 6; with a b2 and #2 instead of a natural 2.

    For C7, the notes would be: C,Db,Eb,E,F,G,Ab,Bb,C
    Or in other words, play Eb7 down from its 7th to the E, 3rd of C7. It sounds ideal that way and it's easy to think of it that way. Playing it up from the root of C7 doesn't lay well.

  9. #8

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    Acknowledges is misspelled on the Caravan page. Not trying to be a curmudgeon but if you’re printing this, that’s something you want to correct.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by rintincop
    Or in other words, play Eb7 down from its 7th to the E, 3rd of C7. It sounds ideal that way and it's easy to think of it that way. Playing it up from the root of C7 doesn't lay well.
    I will try it out.

  11. #10
    Another example
    Attached Images Attached Images The Barry Harris scale for ii V in Minor-caravan-barry-harris-scale-png 

  12. #11

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    As best as I can tell, this is just what Barry and his students have long called "the minor's dominant".