You can have either:Īs you can see, the arrows point to chord tones. Let use the 'F' (the fourth degree) as an example in the same old, C7 mixolydian scale. So Barry found a solution to this musical problem.
Let's say you wanted to start the scale on something other than the root, it wouldn't always work! Give it a try! However, the Barry Harris Workshop goes beyond this simple scale by using two more available passing-tones. It is most commonly referred to as 'bebop scale' and only has ONE passing note between b7 and 1 (in this case, the 'B natural' note). The primary scale which is, by the way, a great starting point for most teachers (including yours truly). The three optional passing notes can be found between degree b7 and 3 (in a mixolydian scale). This simply means that we get chord-tones 1-3-5-7 on downbeats. The end result is the rhythmical alignment of 'strong notes on strong beats' within the bar. In short, the model is a technique that adds 0, 1, 2 or 3 extra passing notes to regular scales. This concept stems from the bebop language. Barry Harris has a way of making scales 'fit' into bar lines which he calls: Without going into too much detail (no spoiler alert here!). Part one: Learning the Model What is the 'Practice Model' ?
