Deep dives into chord substitutions, polychords, superimposed triads, and modulations.
: Harris viewed musical sounds as a universal language that should not be overly "chastised" or restricted by rigid categorization. Access and Availability
If you want a practical 1‑page PDF guide summarizing the exercises and philosophy, I can generate that for you. Just let me know.
At its core, the Intervallistic Concept is a systematic method of practicing and thinking in wide, non-diatonic intervals rather than traditional scales or arpeggios. eddie harris intervallistic concept pdf
For players looking for a more portable technical routine, Harris also published a streamlined, highly specialized companion book titled .
Focuses on the basics of intervallic patterns and their application to standard harmonic progressions. It introduces students to "superimposed triads" and basic "intervallic cycles". Volume II: Advanced Intricacies:
Harris organizes the study by intervallic distance: Just let me know
: Includes Harris's unique outlook on improvisation and music theory, famously referred to as "Eddieisms". Jamey Aebersold Jazz The "Eddieisms" Philosophy
Artists like Steve Lehman, Kamasi Washington, and even avant-garde guitarists like Mary Halvorson utilize techniques directly traceable to Harris’s 1970s booklet.
Instead of practicing your major scales in seconds (C, D, E, F...) or thirds (C, E, D, F...), practice them strictly in . Focuses on the basics of intervallic patterns and
Eddie Harris challenged this linear status quo. He is perhaps most famously known as the composer of "Freedom Jazz Dance"—a landmark composition later immortalized by Miles Davis on Miles Smiles —which relies heavily on consecutive Perfect 4th (P4th) intervals.
However, Harris’s legacy is built on a foundation of remarkable achievements. He was the first jazz artist to sell over a million copies of a single, achieving gold status with his soulful 1961 adaptation of the Exodus movie theme, Exodus to Jazz . He was also a master composer, penning the jazz standard Freedom Jazz Dance , famously recorded by Miles Davis in 1966, and the funky hit Listen Here . A 1986 Chicago Tribune review captured the essence of his genius, describing him as "a monster" whose "harmonic ideas are unique–the byproduct of a self-invented system that Harris calls the 'Intervalistic Harmonic Scale.'" It is this very system, this unique approach to musical structure, that he codified into his masterwork, The Intervallistic Concept .
This is the signature technique.