Barry Harris Method

[kentburnside]

Any thoughts on the B.H. Harmonic Method For Guitar? Has anyone
worked with/through it?

[dwabeslim]

Any thoughts on the B.H. Harmonic Method For Guitar?  Has anyone
worked with/through it?

Back in the late 80's or early 90's the jazz faculty at McGill
University handed classes over to Barry Harris for one week and the
results on the students were amazing. He also inspired those of us
who were on the staff at that time.
Although the "Passing tone" scale or "bebop" scales theory
is well known in a " scratching the surface" way , the ramifications
of it's prolonged and intense study and application are not so well
known. There is also a harmonic or chordal component to Barry's
concept that is much less known. It's application to guitar
presents some fingering and adaptation issues but there is much to
learn and explore. Any text that covers any portion of the
Barry Harris method will I'm sure be of great value to the serious
player. If you get into it ,prepare to to be challenged to "go
deep" ie: serious long term commitment to intense practice and
study.
Greg

[Rick Stone]

Post by dwabeslim

Post by kentburnside
Any thoughts on the B.H. Harmonic Method For Guitar? Has anyone
worked with/through it?

Back in the late 80's or early 90's the jazz faculty at McGill
University handed classes over to Barry Harris for one week and the
results on the students were amazing. He also inspired those of us
who were on the staff at that time.
Although the "Passing tone" scale or "bebop" scales theory
is well known in a " scratching the surface" way , the ramifications
of it's prolonged and intense study and application are not so well
known. There is also a harmonic or chordal component to Barry's
concept that is much less known. It's application to guitar
presents some fingering and adaptation issues but there is much to
learn and explore. Any text that covers any portion of the
Barry Harris method will I'm sure be of great value to the serious
player. If you get into it ,prepare to to be challenged to "go
deep" ie: serious long term commitment to intense practice and
study.
Greg

I worked through all of this stuff when I studied with Barry (for about
5 years in the 80s, and then a couple more years to review in the early
90s). And YES, if you're interested in playing authentic bebop phrasing
(or really pretty much any jazz style) then understanding this stuff is
pretty much the key (and by "understanding" I mean being able to play it
upside-down, inside-out and backwards effortlessly). So, I concur with
Greg. Be prepared to commit. It's something that you practice, not
something that you "think" about when you're playing.)

Yes it ALL "fits" on the guitar just fine. Ronny Ben-Hur actually wrote
a book called "Talk Jazz" that works you through all the "rules" with
fingerings for guitar, although you probably ultimately come up with
your own.

Barry also teaches some very cool harmonic concepts which revolve around
what he calls the Sixth/Diminished scale. There are major and minor 6th
versions of this scale and it can be used to create harmony as well ans
melodic lines (I wrote some articles on this for Just Jazz Guitar about
10 years ago, you can download them from my website).

[dwabeslim]

Post by Rick Stone
Yes it ALL "fits" on the guitar just fine.

Rick, the fingering issues I spoke of refer to the maj and min 6th
diminished as chord scales and borrowing notes in the voicings which
are impossible to do in all closed voicings on guitar and though the
guitar friendly drop 2 and 3 voicings are much more facile when one
tries to borrow more than one voice at a time or start to take complex
voicings through the scales , as always certain compromises will have
to be made compared to piano. I certainly didn't mean to suggest it
was not applicable to our instrument. Quite to the contrary IMO.
BTW Howard Rees did several good articles on some of the harmonic
stuff from a pianistic point of view for Keyboard mag years ago I
think they are still available here.

http://jazzworkshops.com/articles/evolutionary-voicings-part-i

Greg

[AJK]

Here is a review of the book in question from a while back.


Paul C
View profile
More options Sep 12 2006, 9:17 pm

I haven't seen this mentioned here before, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about a new book/cd combination by my fellow
Torontonian and Barry Harris/Howard Rees student, Alan Kingstone. As
I
know Alan personally, I won't pretend to an objective review, but I
will say that any jazz guitarist interested in bebop harmony,
especially as taught and practiced by Barry Harris, will find this to
be an informative, highly useful, and generally quite gentle
introduction to the business of thinking of the music as movement
based
on harmonized 8-note scales; of progressions as interlocking
sequences
of 6th voicings; and of dominants as, well, dominant.
Unlike Roni Ben-Hur's recent book, which emphasizes scales and lines,
Alan's is concerned almost entirely with the harmonic aspects of
Barry
Harris's teaching. While those aspects are beautifully demonstrated
in
the harmony chapters of the two volume workshop video (now dvd)
series
produced by Howard Rees, the emphasis there is mostly although not
exclusively on piano. (Alan is the guitar player on volume 2.) What
Kingstone's new book does very well is translate what are often
intensely pianistic ideas to the guitar in ways that are both
practical
and musical.
The book starts by harmonizing Barry's four main 8-note scales (major
6
diminished, minor 6 diminished, 7 diminished, and 7b5 diminished),
supplying drop voicings (and partial voicings) in all inversions.
These are shown in standard notation and fingering charts ("boxes").
Alan then moves on to the role of the diminished chord in Barry's
harmony, Barry's ideas about related dominants and how they can
substitute for one another, voicings that use "borrowed" notes, and
the
use of all this in movement through commonly-encountered
progressions.
The book ends with a chapter on scale practice, a detailed analysis
of
an exemplary arrangement of a standard (Like Someone in Love) using
many of the "moves" described in earlier chapters, and an appendix
that
systematically sets out a wide range of voicings playable on guitar.
Alan Kingstone's "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" is
published by Howard Rees's Jazz Workshop Productions and available
from
his website (www.jazzworkshops.com), from Aebersold, and probably
from
lots of other places too.

[pmfan57]

Post by AJK
Here is a review of the book in question from a while back.
Paul C
View profile
 More options Sep 12 2006, 9:17 pm
I haven't seen this mentioned here before, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about a new book/cd combination by my fellow
Torontonian and Barry Harris/Howard Rees student, Alan Kingstone.  As
I
know Alan personally, I won't pretend to an objective review, but I
will say that any jazz guitarist interested in bebop harmony,
especially as taught and practiced by Barry Harris, will find this to
be an informative, highly useful, and generally quite gentle
introduction to the business of thinking of the music as movement
based
on harmonized 8-note scales; of progressions as interlocking
sequences
of 6th voicings; and of dominants as, well, dominant.
Unlike Roni Ben-Hur's recent book, which emphasizes scales and lines,
Alan's is concerned almost entirely with the harmonic aspects of
Barry
Harris's teaching.  While those aspects are beautifully demonstrated
in
the harmony chapters of the two volume workshop video (now dvd)
series
produced by Howard Rees, the emphasis there is mostly although not
exclusively on piano.  (Alan is the guitar player on volume 2.)  What
Kingstone's new book does very well is translate what are often
intensely pianistic ideas to the guitar in ways that are both
practical
and musical.
The book starts by harmonizing Barry's four main 8-note scales (major
6
diminished, minor 6 diminished, 7 diminished, and 7b5 diminished),
supplying drop voicings (and partial voicings) in all inversions.
These are shown in standard notation and fingering charts ("boxes").
Alan then moves on to the role of the diminished chord in Barry's
harmony, Barry's ideas about related dominants and how they can
substitute for one another, voicings that use "borrowed" notes, and
the
use of all this in movement through commonly-encountered
progressions.
The book ends with a chapter on scale practice, a detailed analysis
of
an exemplary arrangement of a standard (Like Someone in Love) using
many of the "moves" described in earlier chapters, and an appendix
that
systematically sets out a wide range of voicings playable on guitar.
Alan Kingstone's "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" is
published by Howard Rees's Jazz Workshop Productions and available
from
his website (www.jazzworkshops.com), from Aebersold, and probably
from
lots of other places too.

To get a digestible introduction to the chord part, check out the JJG
lessons from the mid-90s by Rick Stone, reproduced on his web site, as
he mentioned above.

[Rick Stone]

Post by AJK
Here is a review of the book in question from a while back.
Paul C
View profile
More options Sep 12 2006, 9:17 pm
I haven't seen this mentioned here before, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about a new book/cd combination by my fellow
Torontonian and Barry Harris/Howard Rees student, Alan Kingstone. As
I
know Alan personally, I won't pretend to an objective review, but I
will say that any jazz guitarist interested in bebop harmony,
especially as taught and practiced by Barry Harris, will find this to
be an informative, highly useful, and generally quite gentle
introduction to the business of thinking of the music as movement
based
on harmonized 8-note scales; of progressions as interlocking
sequences
of 6th voicings; and of dominants as, well, dominant.
Unlike Roni Ben-Hur's recent book, which emphasizes scales and lines,
Alan's is concerned almost entirely with the harmonic aspects of
Barry
Harris's teaching. While those aspects are beautifully demonstrated
in
the harmony chapters of the two volume workshop video (now dvd)
series
produced by Howard Rees, the emphasis there is mostly although not
exclusively on piano. (Alan is the guitar player on volume 2.) What
Kingstone's new book does very well is translate what are often
intensely pianistic ideas to the guitar in ways that are both
practical
and musical.
The book starts by harmonizing Barry's four main 8-note scales (major
6
diminished, minor 6 diminished, 7 diminished, and 7b5 diminished),
supplying drop voicings (and partial voicings) in all inversions.
These are shown in standard notation and fingering charts ("boxes").
Alan then moves on to the role of the diminished chord in Barry's
harmony, Barry's ideas about related dominants and how they can
substitute for one another, voicings that use "borrowed" notes, and
the
use of all this in movement through commonly-encountered
progressions.
The book ends with a chapter on scale practice, a detailed analysis
of
an exemplary arrangement of a standard (Like Someone in Love) using
many of the "moves" described in earlier chapters, and an appendix
that
systematically sets out a wide range of voicings playable on guitar.
Alan Kingstone's "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" is
published by Howard Rees's Jazz Workshop Productions and available
from
his website (www.jazzworkshops.com), from Aebersold, and probably
from
lots of other places too.

Yeah, I've seen Alan's book too. A lot of the charts and diagrams in it
pretty much look like the stuff in my notebook from the 80s, which make
sense since we were most certainly both trying to put Barry's stuff into
guitar terms for my own understanding. The Chord Construction Workshop
articles I wrote for JJG in 1999 & 2000 came out of that thinking as
well (also from a Pat Martino article from 1977 in Guitar Player, Mel
Bay's Rhythm Guitar Method, and Berklee Arranging classes). They're all
available as pdf downloads on my website (go to the "Lessons" page and
scroll down).

[AJK]

Post by AJK
Here is a review of the book in question from a while back.
Paul C
View profile
  More options Sep 12 2006, 9:17 pm
I haven't seen this mentioned here before, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about a new book/cd combination by my fellow
Torontonian and Barry Harris/Howard Rees student, Alan Kingstone.  As
I
know Alan personally, I won't pretend to an objective review, but I
will say that any jazz guitarist interested in bebop harmony,
especially as taught and practiced by Barry Harris, will find this to
be an informative, highly useful, and generally quite gentle
introduction to the business of thinking of the music as movement
based
on harmonized 8-note scales; of progressions as interlocking
sequences
of 6th voicings; and of dominants as, well, dominant.
Unlike Roni Ben-Hur's recent book, which emphasizes scales and lines,
Alan's is concerned almost entirely with the harmonic aspects of
Barry
Harris's teaching.  While those aspects are beautifully demonstrated
in
the harmony chapters of the two volume workshop video (now dvd)
series
produced by Howard Rees, the emphasis there is mostly although not
exclusively on piano.  (Alan is the guitar player on volume 2.)  What
Kingstone's new book does very well is translate what are often
intensely pianistic ideas to the guitar in ways that are both
practical
and musical.
The book starts by harmonizing Barry's four main 8-note scales (major
6
diminished, minor 6 diminished, 7 diminished, and 7b5 diminished),
supplying drop voicings (and partial voicings) in all inversions.
These are shown in standard notation and fingering charts ("boxes").
Alan then moves on to the role of the diminished chord in Barry's
harmony, Barry's ideas about related dominants and how they can
substitute for one another, voicings that use "borrowed" notes, and
the
use of all this in movement through commonly-encountered
progressions.
The book ends with a chapter on scale practice, a detailed analysis
of
an exemplary arrangement of a standard (Like Someone in Love) using
many of the "moves" described in earlier chapters, and an appendix
that
systematically sets out a wide range of voicings playable on guitar.
Alan Kingstone's "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" is
published by Howard Rees's Jazz Workshop Productions and available
from
his website (www.jazzworkshops.com), from Aebersold, and probably
from
lots of other places too.

Yeah, I've seen Alan's book too.  A lot of the charts and diagrams in it
pretty much look like the stuff in my notebook from the 80s, which make
sense since we were most certainly both trying to put Barry's stuff into
guitar terms for my own understanding.  The Chord Construction Workshop
articles I wrote for JJG in 1999 & 2000 came out of that thinking as
well (also from a Pat Martino article from 1977 in Guitar Player, Mel
Bay's Rhythm Guitar Method, and Berklee Arranging classes).  They're all
available as pdf downloads on my website (go to the "Lessons" page and
scroll down).
--
Musically Yours,
Rick Stone
Website:http://www.rickstone.com
Recordings:http://www.cdbaby.com/all/jazzand
Videos:http://www.youtube.com/user/jazzand
Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/rickstonemusic
EPK:http://www.sonicbids.com/rickstone

Though not half the player Rick Stone is I do consider myself lucky to
have studied with Barry Harris since 1987. I don't offer my book for
free though I've been told by guitarists and some pianists that it has
helped them grasp Barry's concepts.
I caught a glimpse of Ricks work in a magazine years ago and thought
'hey this looks like my stuff'.
I've been with Howard Rees, since 86 who introduced me to Barry in 87
and I've been wrestling with this great stuff since then. I took part
in a workshop with Howard this evening with some wonderful Toronto
musicians and we utilized Barry's thing of 3 or 5 or 7 ordered scale
tones through a tune. It actually made me play melodically for change.
Barry is in town Wednesday rehearsing a yearly outreach project and we
get to take a special harmony class with him.
My book differs from the Ben Hur work as it is specifically Barry's
harmonic method. The method is about improvising harmony as 'movement'
as opposed to static chords.

If you're in the Toronto area check out Howard's workshops. If you're
in New York, go to Barry's classes.

My book can be found here. http://jazzworkshops.com/jw-productions/the-barry-harris-harmonic-method-for-guitar

Thanks
Alan

[Rick Stone]

Post by AJK
Though not half the player Rick Stone is I do consider myself lucky to
have studied with Barry Harris since 1987. I don't offer my book for
free though I've been told by guitarists and some pianists that it has
helped them grasp Barry's concepts.
I caught a glimpse of Ricks work in a magazine years ago and thought
'hey this looks like my stuff'.
I've been with Howard Rees, since 86 who introduced me to Barry in 87
and I've been wrestling with this great stuff since then. I took part
in a workshop with Howard this evening with some wonderful Toronto
musicians and we utilized Barry's thing of 3 or 5 or 7 ordered scale
tones through a tune. It actually made me play melodically for change.
Barry is in town Wednesday rehearsing a yearly outreach project and we
get to take a special harmony class with him.
My book differs from the Ben Hur work as it is specifically Barry's
harmonic method. The method is about improvising harmony as 'movement'
as opposed to static chords.
If you're in the Toronto area check out Howard's workshops. If you're
in New York, go to Barry's classes.
My book can be found here. http://jazzworkshops.com/jw-productions/the-barry-harris-harmonic-method-for-guitar
Thanks
Alan

Ah, so you showed up at JCT in Spring '87? That was about the same time
I was going through a divorce and moving out to Brooklyn. Then JCT
closed down around July and I got busy with working on my Masters at
Queens College for a few years.

Anyway, the reason our stuff looks similar is pretty obvious; it's
BARRY's stuff!! :-) I've got notebooks filled with stuff like that.
When I came back around 1990 he was using a small theater between 8th &
9th Ave. around the corner from where JCT had been. I used to tape the
class and transcribe EVERYTHING. People told me I should put out a book
on it, but I felt funny about that, thinking that Barry should be the
one to write the book. But as he seems to have little inclination to do
anything like that, I think that you and Roni did the right thing.

I'm surprised that we never met, but I guess we must have just been
there at different times.

I was at the old JCT building in May. My son was graduating from F.I.T.
around the corner and had his work in an art show there. Afterwards I
was walking up 8th Avenue and stopped to look at the building.
Everything down to the corner had been torn down and replaced by a
high-rise, but the old JCT was still there. It sat for about 10 years
unused after Barry left because they raised the rent to something he
couldn't afford. I remember going past there as late as 1997 and the
"Jazz Cultural Theatre" sign was still up. Then it became a 99 cent
store for awhile. Now it's empty and for rent again. There was a lady
sweeping the sidewalk. I told her about JCT and she was thinking that I
meant some other club that had been next door, but then I realized she
wasn't old enough to remember what had been there in the 80s. She
opened the door and turned on the lights and let me look inside. The
space was completely stripped of course, and you could see all the way
to the back door (where the kitchen used to be) but I could just
visualize where that couch had been (against the left wall next to the
stage) where I used to sit and watch Tommy Flanagan play, and the
display case full of books and records for sale right up in the front
where we setup the tables to copy parts for the concerts while Colridge
Taylor was there rehearsing the band for one of those concerts. And I
could visually Johnny Griffin sitting there (he was a photographer who
used to work the door) and all his pictures of musicians framed on the
walls. I was poor as dirt back then and couldn't afford film and
developing, so I don't even have a single photo of the place. I wonder
if anyone else does? I used to even re-use my cassette tapes of the
class and jam sessions, so the couple I've found are kind of a mish-mash
of whatever from that time, and badly labeled. I did however find a
performance of Tommy Flanagan playing a Strayhorn medley and Tommy and
Barry playing duo pianos that was probably from one of Barry's
birthdays, but I don't know what year (maybe 1984 or 85?).

Sorry about the rambling, I just got thinking about the place again.

[southtexasguitarist]

Post by AJK
Here is a review of the book in question from a while back.
Paul C
View profile
  More options Sep 12 2006, 9:17 pm
I haven't seen this mentioned here before, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about a new book/cd combination by my fellow
Torontonian and Barry Harris/Howard Rees student, Alan Kingstone.  As
I
know Alan personally, I won't pretend to an objective review, but I
will say that any jazz guitarist interested in bebop harmony,
especially as taught and practiced by Barry Harris, will find this to
be an informative, highly useful, and generally quite gentle
introduction to the business of thinking of the music as movement
based
on harmonized 8-note scales; of progressions as interlocking
sequences
of 6th voicings; and of dominants as, well, dominant.
Unlike Roni Ben-Hur's recent book, which emphasizes scales and lines,
Alan's is concerned almost entirely with the harmonic aspects of
Barry
Harris's teaching.  While those aspects are beautifully demonstrated
in
the harmony chapters of the two volume workshop video (now dvd)
series
produced by Howard Rees, the emphasis there is mostly although not
exclusively on piano.  (Alan is the guitar player on volume 2.)  What
Kingstone's new book does very well is translate what are often
intensely pianistic ideas to the guitar in ways that are both
practical
and musical.
The book starts by harmonizing Barry's four main 8-note scales (major
6
diminished, minor 6 diminished, 7 diminished, and 7b5 diminished),
supplying drop voicings (and partial voicings) in all inversions.
These are shown in standard notation and fingering charts ("boxes").
Alan then moves on to the role of the diminished chord in Barry's
harmony, Barry's ideas about related dominants and how they can
substitute for one another, voicings that use "borrowed" notes, and
the
use of all this in movement through commonly-encountered
progressions.
The book ends with a chapter on scale practice, a detailed analysis
of
an exemplary arrangement of a standard (Like Someone in Love) using
many of the "moves" described in earlier chapters, and an appendix
that
systematically sets out a wide range of voicings playable on guitar.
Alan Kingstone's "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" is
published by Howard Rees's Jazz Workshop Productions and available
from
his website (www.jazzworkshops.com), from Aebersold, and probably
from
lots of other places too.

Yeah, I've seen Alan's book too.  A lot of the charts and diagrams in it
pretty much look like the stuff in my notebook from the 80s, which make
sense since we were most certainly both trying to put Barry's stuff into
guitar terms for my own understanding.  The Chord Construction Workshop
articles I wrote for JJG in 1999 & 2000 came out of that thinking as
well (also from a Pat Martino article from 1977 in Guitar Player, Mel
Bay's Rhythm Guitar Method, and Berklee Arranging classes).  They're all
available as pdf downloads on my website (go to the "Lessons" page and
scroll down).
--
Musically Yours,
Rick Stone
Website:http://www.rickstone.com
Recordings:http://www.cdbaby.com/all/jazzand
Videos:http://www.youtube.com/user/jazzand
Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/rickstonemusic
EPK:http://www.sonicbids.com/rickstone- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

HI Rick,

I've been using both the bebop scales and the maj 6/diminished harmony
principles for at least 30 years, but I never put together that they
were the two sides of the same same thing until I saw your articles.
Thank!

Clay

[bigdog]

Howard Rees is still teaching the Harris method in Toronto. I took
the course last year (it is a multi year effort, if not a lifetime
effort) but decided this year to figure out protools and work on my
improv with a good teacher. I am considering going back next year
though. Barry Harris still comes up here and gives the odd master
class. Well worth it.

David in Toronto

[Tim McNamara]

In article

Post by bigdog
Howard Rees is still teaching the Harris method in Toronto. I took
the course last year (it is a multi year effort, if not a lifetime
effort) but decided this year to figure out protools and work on my
improv with a good teacher. I am considering going back next year
though. Barry Harris still comes up here and gives the odd master
class. Well worth it.

Reading various musical biographies it appears that Dr. Harris has had a
profound effect on jazz music and that quite a bit of what is considered
modern in jazz finds its origins with him.

[eric s]

Post by Tim McNamara
In article

Howard Rees is still teaching the Harris method in Toronto.  I took
the course last year (it is a multi year effort, if not a lifetime
effort) but decided this year to figure out protools and work on my
improv with a good teacher.  I am considering going back next year
though.  Barry Harris still comes up here and gives the odd master
class.  Well worth it.

Reading various musical biographies it appears that Dr. Harris has had a
profound effect on jazz music and that quite a bit of what is considered
modern in jazz finds its origins with him.
--
That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, Bingo.

hmm, thats interesting. I think he is very valuable as a codifier and
his method has obviously been influential, but I never heard him as an
innovator on the piano. One of the thing that struck me as
interesting is how he codifies bebop phraseology. Its almost like he
is saying...look if you want to sound like a bebop pianist, here's the
stuff to do. For example, he gives direction on where to start a
phrase so that you will end on a chord tone. Its very useful for
building melodic lines, but hardly cracks open new vistas in music
(pardon the mixed metaphor.)

E

[Rick Stone]

Post by eric s

Post by Tim McNamara
In article

Post by bigdog
Howard Rees is still teaching the Harris method in Toronto. I took
the course last year (it is a multi year effort, if not a lifetime
effort) but decided this year to figure out protools and work on my
improv with a good teacher. I am considering going back next year
though. Barry Harris still comes up here and gives the odd master
class. Well worth it.

Reading various musical biographies it appears that Dr. Harris has had a
profound effect on jazz music and that quite a bit of what is considered
modern in jazz finds its origins with him.

hmm, thats interesting. I think he is very valuable as a codifier and
his method has obviously been influential, but I never heard him as an
innovator on the piano. One of the thing that struck me as
interesting is how he codifies bebop phraseology. Its almost like he
is saying...look if you want to sound like a bebop pianist, here's the
stuff to do. For example, he gives direction on where to start a
phrase so that you will end on a chord tone. Its very useful for
building melodic lines, but hardly cracks open new vistas in music
(pardon the mixed metaphor.)

I think to understand that, you'd have to have been around at the piano
classes and seen/heard what was going on there. His concepts of the
Sixth/Diminished run deep and it's effects are profound and have
permeated a lot of pianists thinking. It's a lot more than just the
bebop phraseology.

Unfortunately, Barry has always been much more involved with the
creative process, and has not been very good about documenting his own
work (hence it's his students who are writing all the articles and
books). He's also kind of a moving target. I haven't studied with him
in many years, and students will ask me about stuff that he's said more
recently, and I'll have no idea. He's 80 years old and still evolving!

[eric s]

Post by Rick Stone

Post by Tim McNamara
In article

Howard Rees is still teaching the Harris method in Toronto.  I took
the course last year (it is a multi year effort, if not a lifetime
effort) but decided this year to figure out protools and work on my
improv with a good teacher.  I am considering going back next year
though.  Barry Harris still comes up here and gives the odd master
class.  Well worth it.

Reading various musical biographies it appears that Dr. Harris has had a
profound effect on jazz music and that quite a bit of what is considered
modern in jazz finds its origins with him.

hmm, thats interesting.  I think he is very valuable as a codifier and
his method has obviously been influential, but I never heard him as an
innovator on the piano.  One of the thing that struck me as
interesting is how he codifies bebop phraseology.  Its almost like he
is saying...look if you want to sound like a bebop pianist, here's the
stuff to do.  For example, he gives direction on where to start a
phrase so that you will end on a chord tone.  Its very useful for
building melodic lines, but hardly cracks open new vistas in music
(pardon the mixed metaphor.)

I think to understand that, you'd have to have been around at the piano
classes and seen/heard what was going on there.  His concepts of the
Sixth/Diminished run deep and it's effects are profound and have
permeated a lot of pianists thinking.  It's a lot more than just the
bebop phraseology.
Unfortunately, Barry has always been much more involved with the
creative process, and has not been very good about documenting his own
work (hence it's his students who are writing all the articles and
books).  He's also kind of a moving target.  I haven't studied with him
in many years, and students will ask me about stuff that he's said more
recently, and I'll have no idea.  He's 80 years old and still evolving!
--
Musically Yours,
Rick Stone
Website:http://www.rickstone.com
Recordings:http://www.cdbaby.com/all/jazzand
Videos:http://www.youtube.com/user/jazzand
Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/rickstonemusic
EPK:http://www.sonicbids.com/rickstone

Yeh, I lived around the corner from the JCT for years. I went by a
few times, but the place was so crowded and the whole atmosphere was
inpenetrable to me. So I went back to hanging over the brass rail at
knickerbocker and watching roland hanna, junior mance, teddy wilson
(!) from two feet away over their shoulders. It was an incredible
place, I way preferred it to Bradley's for learning, tho bradley's was
definitely a hipper scene. But at Knickerbocker, you could chat with
the players between sets, whereas at Bradley's all their pals and
ladies were hanging around, and the place was not physically set up
for moving around. If you left your table, it was gone. At the
knick, I just got a perch in that little nook behind the pianist and
hung on for a few sets, nursing a few beers. Everyone left me alone
and I could watch and learn. I heard some INCREDIBLE playing
there...

Sorry for rambling...

E

[Rick Stone]

Post by eric s
Yeh, I lived around the corner from the JCT for years. I went by a
few times, but the place was so crowded and the whole atmosphere was
inpenetrable to me. So I went back to hanging over the brass rail at
knickerbocker and watching roland hanna, junior mance, teddy wilson
(!) from two feet away over their shoulders. It was an incredible
place, I way preferred it to Bradley's for learning, tho bradley's was
definitely a hipper scene. But at Knickerbocker, you could chat with
the players between sets, whereas at Bradley's all their pals and
ladies were hanging around, and the place was not physically set up
for moving around. If you left your table, it was gone. At the
knick, I just got a perch in that little nook behind the pianist and
hung on for a few sets, nursing a few beers. Everyone left me alone
and I could watch and learn. I heard some INCREDIBLE playing
there...
Sorry for rambling...

Yeah, I liked Bradley's a lot. I'd always try to get there early and
get the table right next to the piano. You could really see their hands
from there. I always dug seeing Kenny Barron because his technique was
so incredible, but also Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan, James Williams,
etc. I remember walking in there once when they were having a benefit
or memorial for someone (maybe Walter Davis?) and looking at all the
pianists standing at the bar. I was thinking like "if they dropped a
bomb on this place, MOST of the greatest pianists in the world would be
gone." (thankfully, no bombs were dropped, although now through age and
attrition, we've lost many of those guys).

Knickerbocker was a cool place too, but I didn't hang there as much. Is
it still there?

[Tim McNamara]

In article

Post by eric s

Post by Tim McNamara
In article

Howard Rees is still teaching the Harris method in Toronto.  I
took the course last year (it is a multi year effort, if not a
lifetime effort) but decided this year to figure out protools and
work on my improv with a good teacher.  I am considering going
back next year though.  Barry Harris still comes up here and
gives the odd master class.  Well worth it.

Reading various musical biographies it appears that Dr. Harris has
had a profound effect on jazz music and that quite a bit of what is
considered modern in jazz finds its origins with him.
-- That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, Bingo.

hmm, thats interesting. I think he is very valuable as a codifier
and his method has obviously been influential, but I never heard him
as an innovator on the piano. One of the thing that struck me as
interesting is how he codifies bebop phraseology. Its almost like he
is saying...look if you want to sound like a bebop pianist, here's
the stuff to do. For example, he gives direction on where to start a
phrase so that you will end on a chord tone. Its very useful for
building melodic lines, but hardly cracks open new vistas in music
(pardon the mixed metaphor.)

Not necessarily as a pianist but as an instructor. A year or two back
as I was reading up on various hip new jazz musicians mentioned in the
newsgroup (of whom I had never heard, not being new or hip myself), I
was amazed at how many of them had studied with Barry Harris or studied
the Barry Harris method.

[southtexasguitarist]

Post by AJK
Here is a review of the book in question from a while back.
Paul C
View profile
  More options Sep 12 2006, 9:17 pm
I haven't seen this mentioned here before, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about a new book/cd combination by my fellow
Torontonian and Barry Harris/Howard Rees student, Alan Kingstone.  As
I
know Alan personally, I won't pretend to an objective review, but I
will say that any jazz guitarist interested in bebop harmony,
especially as taught and practiced by Barry Harris, will find this to
be an informative, highly useful, and generally quite gentle
introduction to the business of thinking of the music as movement
based
on harmonized 8-note scales; of progressions as interlocking
sequences
of 6th voicings; and of dominants as, well, dominant.
Unlike Roni Ben-Hur's recent book, which emphasizes scales and lines,
Alan's is concerned almost entirely with the harmonic aspects of
Barry
Harris's teaching.  While those aspects are beautifully demonstrated
in
the harmony chapters of the two volume workshop video (now dvd)
series
produced by Howard Rees, the emphasis there is mostly although not
exclusively on piano.  (Alan is the guitar player on volume 2.)  What
Kingstone's new book does very well is translate what are often
intensely pianistic ideas to the guitar in ways that are both
practical
and musical.
The book starts by harmonizing Barry's four main 8-note scales (major
6
diminished, minor 6 diminished, 7 diminished, and 7b5 diminished),
supplying drop voicings (and partial voicings) in all inversions.
These are shown in standard notation and fingering charts ("boxes").
Alan then moves on to the role of the diminished chord in Barry's
harmony, Barry's ideas about related dominants and how they can
substitute for one another, voicings that use "borrowed" notes, and
the
use of all this in movement through commonly-encountered
progressions.
The book ends with a chapter on scale practice, a detailed analysis
of
an exemplary arrangement of a standard (Like Someone in Love) using
many of the "moves" described in earlier chapters, and an appendix
that
systematically sets out a wide range of voicings playable on guitar.
Alan Kingstone's "The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" is
published by Howard Rees's Jazz Workshop Productions and available
from
his website (www.jazzworkshops.com), from Aebersold, and probably
from
lots of other places too.

Yeah, I've seen Alan's book too.  A lot of the charts and diagrams in it
pretty much look like the stuff in my notebook from the 80s, which make
sense since we were most certainly both trying to put Barry's stuff into
guitar terms for my own understanding.  The Chord Construction Workshop
articles I wrote for JJG in 1999 & 2000 came out of that thinking as
well (also from a Pat Martino article from 1977 in Guitar Player, Mel
Bay's Rhythm Guitar Method, and Berklee Arranging classes).  They're all
available as pdf downloads on my website (go to the "Lessons" page and
scroll down).
--
Musically Yours,
Rick Stone
Website:http://www.rickstone.com
Recordings:http://www.cdbaby.com/all/jazzand
Videos:http://www.youtube.com/user/jazzand
Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/rickstonemusic
EPK:http://www.sonicbids.com/rickstone

Hi Rick,

I'm curious if David Baker developed his The Bebop Era books from
Harris's teachings. I practiced a lot out of those books and much of
the material is similar or the same as what you have in your lessons.
Do you have any insight?

Clay

[Rick Stone]

Post by southtexasguitarist
Hi Rick,
I'm curious if David Baker developed his The Bebop Era books from
Harris's teachings. I practiced a lot out of those books and much of
the material is similar or the same as what you have in your lessons.
Do you have any insight?
Clay

I'm not sure. I have the David Baker books you're talking about, and it
IS pretty much EXACTLY what Barry teaches. I've never asked either of
them about it, but was guessing that David was just laying Barry's stuff
out in book form, but oddly, I don't think he credits him. I'm sure
I'll see David at the Jazz Education Network conference in January, so
I'll try to remember to ask him.

Before all these books came out there were just photocopies of
handwritten sheets with examples of all of the chromatic rules that used
to float around the classes. Didn't look like something that Barry did,
but they was probably transcribed and compiled and got handed down from
student to student.

[Larry]

Although I never studied with Barry Harris, I did study with some
great teachers at the Jazzmobile in the late 80's and early 90's.
Rodney Jones, Ted Dunbar and Rick Stone were all great teachers and I
learned most of what I know from those guys. A friend showed me the
basic idea of Barry's system (the minor and major dim. 6th scale) and
I harmonized those two scales and mapped it out on the guitar in all
the variations I could come up with. Thanks to Rick Stone for teaching
me how to teach myself.

I also downloaded Rick Stone's pdf files dealing with Barry's method
and they helped alot. He also has some great files about chord
construction which neatly summarize some of the most useful stuff I
picked up from Rick. Rick is a truly great teacher and player--I now
wish I had been a better student!

I recently bought Alan Kingstones book "The Barry Harris Harmonic
Method for Guitar" which is proving to be very helpful (I'm working
through the 2nd chapter on movement right now). My take on Alan's book
is that it requires a knowledge of theory and a commitment to work
hard unraveling Alan's short comments. If anything, Alan could have
provided more examples and commentary since it reads a bit like a
transcription of his or Barry's notes.

I'm still not sure how this method will translate to other genres
other than jazz.
Larry

[Rick Stone]

Post by Larry
Although I never studied with Barry Harris, I did study with some
great teachers at the Jazzmobile in the late 80's and early 90's.
Rodney Jones, Ted Dunbar and Rick Stone were all great teachers and I
learned most of what I know from those guys. A friend showed me the
basic idea of Barry's system (the minor and major dim. 6th scale) and
I harmonized those two scales and mapped it out on the guitar in all
the variations I could come up with. Thanks to Rick Stone for teaching
me how to teach myself.
I also downloaded Rick Stone's pdf files dealing with Barry's method
and they helped alot. He also has some great files about chord
construction which neatly summarize some of the most useful stuff I
picked up from Rick. Rick is a truly great teacher and player--I now
wish I had been a better student!
I recently bought Alan Kingstones book "The Barry Harris Harmonic
Method for Guitar" which is proving to be very helpful (I'm working
through the 2nd chapter on movement right now). My take on Alan's book
is that it requires a knowledge of theory and a commitment to work
hard unraveling Alan's short comments. If anything, Alan could have
provided more examples and commentary since it reads a bit like a
transcription of his or Barry's notes.
I'm still not sure how this method will translate to other genres
other than jazz.
Larry

Hey Larry,
Long time, no see. Thanks for the kind words.

[AJK]

Post by Larry
Although I never studied with Barry Harris, I did study with some
great teachers at the Jazzmobile in the late 80's and early 90's.
Rodney Jones, Ted Dunbar and Rick Stone were all great teachers and I
learned most of what I know from those guys. A friend showed me the
basic idea of Barry's system (the minor and major dim. 6th scale) and
I harmonized those two scales and mapped it out on the guitar in all
the variations I could come up with. Thanks to Rick Stone for teaching
me how to teach myself.
I also downloaded Rick Stone's pdf files dealing with Barry's method
and they helped alot. He also has some great files about chord
construction which neatly summarize some of the most useful stuff I
picked up from Rick. Rick is a truly great teacher and player--I now
wish I had been a better student!
I recently bought Alan Kingstones book "The Barry Harris Harmonic
Method for Guitar" which is proving to be very helpful (I'm working
through the 2nd chapter on movement right now). My take on Alan's book
is that it requires a knowledge of theory and a commitment to work
hard unraveling Alan's short comments. If anything, Alan could have
provided more examples and commentary since it reads a bit like a
transcription of his or Barry's notes.
I'm still not sure how this method will translate to other genres
other than jazz.
Larry

Larry: Feel free to contact me directly at the e-mail address provided
in the book if you have any questions.

Alan

[Larry]

Post by AJK

Post by Larry
I recently bought Alan Kingstones book "The Barry Harris Harmonic
Method for Guitar" which is proving to be very helpful (I'm working
through the 2nd chapter on movement right now). My take on Alan's book
is that it requires a knowledge of theory and a commitment to work
hard unraveling Alan's short comments. If anything, Alan could have
provided more examples and commentary since it reads a bit like a
transcription of his or Barry's notes.
I'm still not sure how this method will translate to other genres
other than jazz.
Larry

Larry: Feel free to contact me directly at the e-mail address provided
in the book if you have any questions.
Alan

Hi Alan,
Thank you for your response. I'm now a bit embarrassed to have posted
publicly my comments about your book (which is excellent by the way).
I hope that my comments will not discourage anyone considering buying
your book. I bought it and I'm very glad I did!

I do have one basic question that I thought I might share with
everyone since it is something I've run across elsewhere when googling
the Barry Harris method: How are the 7th diminished and 7b5 diminished
scales and chords used? There is a LOT of great information about how
to think about and use the Maj/Min 6th dim. scales but the other two
are only harmonized and shown with inversions on the fingerboard
charts.
Thank you for the invitation to contact you via email also.
Larry

[AJK]

Post by Larry

Post by AJK

Post by Larry
I recently bought Alan Kingstones book "The Barry Harris Harmonic
Method for Guitar" which is proving to be very helpful (I'm working
through the 2nd chapter on movement right now). My take on Alan's book
is that it requires a knowledge of theory and a commitment to work
hard unraveling Alan's short comments. If anything, Alan could have
provided more examples and commentary since it reads a bit like a
transcription of his or Barry's notes.
I'm still not sure how this method will translate to other genres
other than jazz.
Larry

Larry: Feel free to contact me directly at the e-mail address provided
in the book if you have any questions.
Alan

Hi Alan,
Thank you for your response. I'm now a bit embarrassed to have posted
publicly my comments about your book (which is excellent by the way).
I hope that my comments will not discourage anyone considering buying
your book. I bought it and I'm very glad I did!
I do have one basic question that I thought I might share with
everyone since it is something I've run across elsewhere when googling
the Barry Harris method: How are the 7th diminished and 7b5 diminished
scales and chords used? There is a LOT of great information about how
to think about and use the Maj/Min 6th dim. scales but the other two
are only harmonized and shown with inversions on the fingerboard
charts.
Thank you for the invitation to contact you via email also.
Larry

Larry: No need to apologize. I think your critique is valid as there
is a shortage of actual song application in the book. I suggest
movement on chord/scales where before we may have played a single
chord and ways to colour the chords with borrowed diminished or
related dominant notes. There are demonstrations using common chord
progressions and our job is to plug them in. Like your private e-mail
suggests, it's hard work. Now I should get of the couch, turn off the
baseball game and do some of that hard work.

Best
Alan

[Serie20y20 - Editorial Digital de Musica]

Post by AJK

Post by Larry

Post by AJK

Post by Larry
I recently bought Alan Kingstones book "The Barry Harris Harmonic
Method for Guitar" which is proving to be very helpful (I'm working
through the 2nd chapter on movement right now). My take on Alan's book
is that it requires a knowledge of theory and a commitment to work
hard unraveling Alan's short comments. If anything, Alan could have
provided more examples and commentary since it reads a bit like a
transcription of his or Barry's notes.
I'm still not sure how this method will translate to other genres
other than jazz.
Larry

Larry: Feel free to contact me directly at the e-mail address provided
in the book if you have any questions.
Alan

Hi Alan,
Thank you for your response. I'm now a bit embarrassed to have posted
publicly my comments about your book (which is excellent by the way).
I hope that my comments will not discourage anyone considering buying
your book. I bought it and I'm very glad I did!
I do have one basic question that I thought I might share with
everyone since it is something I've run across elsewhere when googling
the Barry Harris method: How are the 7th diminished and 7b5 diminished
scales and chords used? There is a LOT of great information about how
to think about and use the Maj/Min 6th dim. scales but the other two
are only harmonized and shown with inversions on the fingerboard
charts.
Thank you for the invitation to contact you via email also.
Larry

Larry: No need to apologize. I think your critique is valid as there
is a shortage of actual song application in the book. I suggest
movement on chord/scales where before we may have played a single
chord and ways to colour the chords with borrowed diminished or
related dominant notes. There are demonstrations using common chord
progressions and our job is to plug them in. Like your private e-mail
suggests, it's hard work. Now I should get of the couch, turn off the
baseball game and do some of that hard work.
Best
Alan

If you are looking for books on the Barry Harris method please visit this link:
https://www.serie20y20.com.ar/en/barry-harris/

[Gerry]

Post by kentburnside
Any thoughts on the B.H. Harmonic Method For Guitar? Has anyone
worked with/through it?

"The Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" by Alan Kingstone (2006,
Jazzworkship Productions).

I have and give it my unqualified support as an excellent book for the
inquiring guitarist; no qualifications. SKrohn recommended it to me
last year some time. I knew much of the stuff in it, but even the stuff
I know is approached in a very different and intriguing angle.

It still lays on my work-stand and I futz with it periodically. I
assume I will for many years to come.