Barry Harris' harmonic and improvisational teaching is based on the theory that chords come from scales. The scales at the foundation of his theory are the major sixth diminished scale, the minor sixth diminished scale, the seventh diminished scale and the seventh flat 5 diminished scale. Barry's teaching methodology emphasizes that 98% of the chords we play come from one of these scales.

One of Barry's students, Masahiko Uchino, has developed a tool to display the appropriate scales for any chord structure that you specify. Give it a combination of notes for any chord and this tool will list the scale(s) that can be used in your playing.

Click here to start the Scale Reminder Tool

If your browser has problems running the tool, click here to run a different version of the tool that works with older browser versions.

Masahike Uchino also wrote a version that runs on the Palm III so that you can take the tool with you wherever you go!

And remember, attend a live workshop session for the ultimate learning experience in understanding the application of these scales.