Barry Harris' speech in Almeria - Spain | BELIEVE 

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There are a lot of classic jazz artists who intentionally or unintentionally never passed on their methodology. It probably ended up hurting the popularity of jazz over the decades because the general public views these greats as a select group of one-offs from a bygone era. Barry Harris was the complete opposite, he wasn't stingy. He did everything in his power to keep the vibrancy of jazz alive by sharing many unspoken theories and methods that those greats often kept to themselves. His love for the music was greater than a desire to feed his ego. He may be gone from this earth rest his soul, but his legacy seems to be getting stronger and stronger as musicians and listeners yearn for great music. What a gift he left us with these videos of his teachings!

Barry is still teaching…❤

I first took a Barry Class in the 80's when I was 19 I didnt understand how this thing would work I later took more classes in 2003 in my mid thirties i understood a little more. But still went back to regular jazz theory now in 2015 i find my self trying to catch everything this man says. Truly there is something to his philosophy and approach. if you only take the time to delve and explore

Hard to lose such a teacher, but great to have this document of his wisdom.

I actually agree with him. You gotta build up from the foundations and and be true to yourself in a melodic sense. And also you need to stick to your aural intelligence, learning from records and figuring stuff out with your ear in a proper, down to earth fashion. I've led myself astray with dozens of silly theory books. Now all I do is ear training and transcribing the greats (I even stopped writing solos down now) and I'm finally developing a satisfactory jazz vocabulary.

Barry Harris passed away on December 8th, 2021, at 91 years old. We will never get another like him. Ever.

Barry fires me tf up

This grumpy old man is great! He is giving the world musical gold! He is teaching "motion" not theory. A genius-for sure. Most of us trained classical theory are stuck on rules that don't create "motion." We read the music on paper and we think we improvise using the harmony of the song. That is ok but with his approach of the 6th dim scale beautiful motion is created. Barry is the man

listen to this guy!!!!!! He's got it right

Mr. Harris! I BELIEVE IN YOU! :) I really hope somehow that you can read this because... I need you to know... My Dad was born in 1926. Ever since he died, I've been trying to figure out how he got from chord to chord. He was a self-taught piano player - not one lesson in all his 66 years of life. He played all the original jazz music that you play. For yrs., I begged him to teach me how to play. He let me take Royal Cons. lessons but I still couldn't figure out how he got from chord to chord and how he could know what to play even when it wasn't on the sheet. When I was 13 years old and announced that I didn't want to take classical lessons anymore, I started noodling around again about 6 months later but I was frustrated by not sounding like my Dad or playing "his music". He sounded just like you, Mr. Harris! One day, I went over the bench to watch him play. And then I really begged him. He finally showed me what he was doing, reading the guitar chord names and the melody. I knew my chords so I felt like this was an open door to universe I'd only dreamed of. For over 40 years, I've been playing his way but still never knowing how he got from chord to chord. How does he know what chords to play in between? I've been watching your lectures on RU-vid on and off for years and years, not understanding a thing you're saying. And then tonight it came to me in a flash of inspiration. Diminished. 3 of them. "Only 3 diminished 7 chords." The one thing my Dad taught me that didn't fit with anything else was that there are only "3 dim7 chords". I've always thought he only told me that as a cool thing. "Look, there are only 3 in the whole world". I've been playing them in isolation all my life!!!!! I think he knew what you know, Mr. Harris, and he just didn't know how to teach it to me. I'm now going to the piano but I wanted you to know. I'm white and I don't hate black people and I believe in you and everything you've been trying to tell us for decades. (I wonder what my Dad would think of this. I'll bet he'd just say, "Yes. That's how it's done." :) Ever grateful for you.

''Once you've learned it it's not going to be hard.''

I'm not a jazz musician but I discovered this guy 2 days ago after watching someone else's video, in which they talk about Barry's '6th on the 5th' theory. It's lead me down a rabbit hole of knowledge that has helped me with my songwriting. Personally, I often find Jazz musicians to be distracted by the ego of what it means to be a jazz musician, rather than focused on music itself. Barry's not like that and that's what I like about him the best so far: he speaks plainly and tells it how it is. So much more useful than teachers who teach their opinions as opposed to knowledge. Loving this guy...

Barry's still alive at this writing, which is a relief. That means I have a chance to meet him. The use of the diminished chord and it's scale source (dim and dominant diminished) appear to be the dirty little secret in jazz improv as executed by Barry and his cohorts. Clarity on it's universality and "owning it" is the holy grail if you were taught jazz harmony with a focus on melodic minor modes, and is a really exciting use of shed time. Barry seems to avoid melodic minor theory, and that's consistent with my early jazz teachers. When I remarked about this to Matt Harris (Jazz chair, CSUN), he said "Jeff, a lotta guys just didn't know about that perspective." Barry's observation about 2-5-1 cadences being secondary to the more basic 4-5-1… that's true too. He get's dark at the end, and I wish someone had just asked him to review the "four scales". But they're probably detailed elsewhere on youtube. Barry's dense voicings, scale sources, and root choices are mind blowing.

I'm so happy Barry didn't hold back...it was amazing how his facial expressions showed so much of disgust for the state of jazz education and the new generation of players...

I do Belive on you Mr.Barry..

I am so glad I discovered you Mr.Harris. R.I.P.

Since I picked up his harmonic approach, the guitar does feel much more connected and open. I don't have to memorize specific inversions or slash chords at all, the scale gets me where I need to get, smoothly. Wonderful concept

His book The Barry Harris Approach to Improvised Lines & Harmony: An Introduction has helped me more than any other resource. He explained jazz to me in 30 pages.

Thank you for this!!

I can listen to this man drop words of wisdom forever

He's right! Wonderful and inspiring!

SICK SICK SICK! thank you BARRY! beautiful love of the music

I feel fortunate to hear what he said about guitarists and musicians in general, what we should know and learn from. Thank you. I will take these wise words and continue to grow as a musician.

Someone said this already, I'll say it like this: No matter the field of work or craftsmanship, you have to master the foundations to be the best, produce the best...I don't know much about reading writing or playing music, But that's the Universal Principle, the secret to everything.

I'm in one of Mr Harris's class. No music sheets. He tells you what to play. Great teacher. I record his class and studied it that night.

This brought tears to my eyes

I've had the emence pleasure of hanging with Barry a few times.He's the real deal!

Thank you, Barry. Realistic truth. Peace

Wow, what a treasure this guy is!

Man, Barry really has opened my ears to a lot of what I didn't understand.

This is the greatest thing ever. I wish this man were a grandfather of mine :)

All the things you are has ta be one of the nicest tunes I have ever heard. I wished I had known him in 50 years ago.

so right about jazz schools

Truly, Maestro Harris is A Most Remarkable Genius who freely shares his Incredible Talents and Knowledge with us. What a Kind and Generous Soul he is!! I am DEEPLY GRATEFUL. THANK YOU Sir for posting this. I BELIEVE!!

This needs to go viral

Playing the 6 count over the 4 count is quite interesting! Thanks!

May this jazz master and educator, Barry Harris rest in peace. 🙏❤🎹🎼🎶

This man is special I wish he was my teacher!

this kinda video is actually better than what i learned from music college back in my 20's. i mean, you don't need to pay huge amount of money to the music college now . thank RU-vid.

Barry is awesome. I can disagree with him plenty but I can learn plenty more from him.

I agree with Mr Harris on one point: The so-called great music schools don't teach you how to connect things together the way he does. The "lost art of tonal improvisation" is no longer a myth, thanx to him. An approach based on number theory that enables easy-to-think chord-melody progressions in a tonal context would be his trademark. What I do not like though is his way of describing other musicians and teachers in a negative way, such as Herbie Hancock, whose carrer choices are so personnal. I would be very interested in hearing Mr Harris playing Herbie's tunes from 1965...how much insight does he have regarding what some people call "modal jazz"? "Maiden Voyage" would be a perfect example of this kind of composition, with very specific chord figures and colors, very far from be-bop and tonal music. To conclude; I do think he is an expert in his very specific field, but in no way an expert on judging other people's music and esthetic choices. Would it be so hard for him not to humiliate other teachers when realizing they don't "know it all"? That is a very common ego-related communication issue with musicians, wether great ones or not. By the way, Pat Metheny was a teacher once at Berkley (Boston) Jazz school. Would Mr Harris consider his teaching as crap? :) Well, I wouldn't, since that teaching (got it from one of his students afterwards) got me into serious Jazz guitar playing and helped me develop my style. So please Mr Harris: humility! Kindness, are the trademarks of the greatest artists and human beings, as Marc Chagall once said. Throwing shit at people's faces, especially in front of cameras, is not the best way to overcome that "ambient ignorance" of the musical fact.

Gracias.

I believes in you Sir Harris

I believe in you Barry!

thank God there is some one to give this information to keep the integrity of the compositions

8:45 Barry Harris is the only person allowed to say "I am jazz"

I don't totally agree with all of Barry's opinions and likes and dislikes-for instance, I love much of John Coltrane 's music-powerful and tremendously soulful. And I respect Coltrane's courage and search for his own music- Yet I also love Barry's sincerity and his straightforwardness-Barry is direct and honest in his feelings-a beautiful quality! And not so common either. Also , Barry knows bebop like nobody else alive today-Barry is a true and pure jazz musician and has truly lived and practiced what he is talking about. I am so happy that Barry is still alive and still plays so beautifully-long live Barry Harris!

that s ridiculous kkkkk love him!

Incredible,

You can believe in Barry when you hear his examples

what he talks about at 21.00 onward (diminished scale, dom 7ths and guitarists) is the whole basis of Pat Martinos guitar method !

That Bb7sus instead of Db7 on There Will Be Another You is really nice!

RIP to one of the GOATs

Pat Martino started the 1st chapter of his book "Creative Force (1993)" on the diminished concept (as describe here by BH) and PM made it so simple on the guitar fingerboard.

He is, what I consider to be, the original Rolling Stone.

I loved his playing and his demonstration of a 'chance composition' tool (random selection of cards with numbers standing for the notes in the scale). But... Wisdom shines brightest when not clouded by disrespect, condescension and self-indulgence. I would love to have learned more from Mr. Harris about the musical concepts that he criticizes others for not understanding.

I believe in Barry Harris

Thankfully Barry gets it

Good Stuff!

What a profound ending

I can't read music or play piano but I have been drawn to Mr. Harris' videos and can't stop.

"You've got to believe in me"

Beautiful cat!

chords from scales. he can be rigid at times . theory is theory .i do learn from him and admire his concept

Barry is speaking 1 billion percent facts

THE THRUTH !!! Горькая Правда

The greatest in jazz peaked around 1959. So many greats were pushed aside back rhen.

the master

"It's not that easy.. I changed your thought; I changed your thought" Take that

I believe

I love Miles’ some day my prince will come.. my favorite Miles Album.. and I’m a Jazz Head...

his point about Miles, Coltrane and Herbie regarding modal playing- they are not the end-all-be-all definers of Jazz music

Just listen. Then go dig deep on what he teaches. As a guitar player, he's spot on and he's not talking about the upper echelon players. Barry's way is the way for me and has taught me more in about a year than I've learned in a long long time. Guitar players - search Things I Learned From Barry Harris. Dig deep and confront yourself and don't skip until you've learned that concept (which you know by putting it to real music).

Barry Is so right about tenor players these days. Hawk, Prez and Webster have been overlooked by Trane. It'd be great to hear big cat play like the old horn players.

*"See, we used to dance to the music. We danced to the music. You see, jazz musicians been gettin' away with murder; they ain't got no people dancin' to the music and they just do anything they wanna' do. And you couldn't dance to it if you wanted to, the way some of them sound. Then they go out on you and call it 'avant-garde.' Right now we in the dark ages. The golden age passed. We are in the dark ages. It's time for a renaissance."* - Barry Harris from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague

🔥🔥🔥

In my opinion he's a 100% right about learning from the guitar . I think all guitars should be designed with the notes engraved on the neck you need to know the notes. The notes on the guitar neck spells out music theory. It's perfect I think a left hand person should play a right hand guitar and right hand person should play a left hand guitar why because it takes a lot of strength to fret . I eat, sleep and drink the piano but I'm glad I gave the guitar a chance.

"Go listen to guitarists and try to find one of them that sounds like they know about the scale of chords". 3:45 of Gone With The Wind on the album The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery sounds like some Ab and Bb major 6th diminished stuff is very intentionally happening in this chord solo but I might be wrong.

@ 20:14, talking about the 4 dominant chords contained in the diminished 7th chord was something I heard years ago from Pat Martino. Maybe he got it from Barry, but probably not.

James Jamerson studied under him which means, we ALL studied under him!! WOW!!

20:44 Barry Harris says guitar is the best instrument, and that we should learn from guitar players.

28:04 "How can it have limits? Does math have limits? Can you say there is an end to math? Hell no. And music is math."

the last jazz revolution icon

The first chord of Stella by Starlight is.....34:47

m7b5 = "minor with the sixth in the bass" - Monk

Never thought I'd hear someone bash Herbie Hancock from a sort of authoritarian standpoint

Deep.

You guys stay there. The ones criticize Barry and claim to love jazz. Soon these last remaining legends will have passed and we will have truly lost the last legitimate strands of this music and culture. And most won't mind, ignorance is bliss. Modern music is cool but the heritage of jazz i feel is less secure than classical music. Because classical is not improvised. The genius of the great composers will always be kept alive. The beauty of jazz is the improvisation. This is why Barry is so important. Just listen to many modern jazz players especially guitarists. How many have an authentic and original jazz voice still rooted in the tradition?

Galban and Cooder in the background !

38:42

RIP Barry, we lost Barry last month

I want to meet and jam with this legend

stuff he says bout guitarists is heavy as hell...usually no one believes in the guitarist

Love what he says about his music prejudice. I never liked Bitches Brew or Herbie Hancock’s music either. Dexter Gordon played the tenor with the low raw sound and he’s my favorite.

Jazz Yoda

incredible musician and incredibly close-minded

20:47 26:46 27:45 Guitar is the best instrument!

I do believe Barry Harris, because I LOVE his music, otherwise I wouldn't believe him...

“It takes street savy”……. Damn, if you get it, you get it.