Barry Harris Origin Story

The world of harmony as explained by a Barry Harris creation story...

First there was nothing.  From nothing, God created the chromatic scale -- the world for all music to inhabit.

​The world of the living is 12 notes:
World = Chromatic Scale
C, C#, D, D#, E, F, G, G#, A, A#, B

The world is divided in half, creating Man and Woman. Each of them takes 6 tones of the world.
Man: C, D, E, G, A
Woman: C#, D#, E, G, A, B

There are three babies from these parents -- all diminished. Each diminished receives 2 tones from man and and 2 tones from woman whole-tone scales. The formula for diminished is 1, b3, #11, bb7(6).  The b3 and bb7 are 'chromosomes' from the opposite parent.  All diminished scales are inversions of one of these three sets of notes.

C, Eb, Gb, A
C#, E, G, Bb
D, F, Ab, Cb

The 'Man' and 'Woman' Parents (whole-tones) are the first major scales.  They have Major 3.
Children (diminished) are the first minor scales.  They have Minor 3.

So far we know there is 1 chromatic scale.
There are 2 whole tones scales.
There are 3 diminished scales.

Those 3 diminished babies (birthed by the two diminished scales) will now have babies.  The first baby is the dominant.  You get this baby by altering one "chromosome" aka, lowering one tone a half-step.  

Dominants (1,3,5,b7) - are diminished with one tone moved down a half-step.  Each diminished can have four baby dominants. 

Example, Cdim can have B7, D7, F7, Ab7 babies.

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
B [C down half-step], D#(Eb), F#(Gb), A =  B7

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
D, Gb, A, C = D7

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
F, A, C, D#(Eb) = F7

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
Ab, C, Eb, Gb = Ab7

The diminished 'scale' is created putting two of the three diminished arpeggios together -- all the chromosomes of a diminished, and all the tonics of the baby dominants.  Following the Root world of C, that would be:
C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, B

This is known as the 'Whole-Half' Diminished scale which starts with a whole-tone jump followed by a half-tone jump.  This gives us a Major 9 and a Minor 3.

All the diminished children (birthed by the two Whole-Tone scales) have babies.  The first baby is the Dominant.  You get this baby by altering one "chromosome" aka, lowering one tone a half-step.  

Dominants (1,3,5,b7) - are diminished with one tone moved down a half-step.  Each diminished can have four baby dominants. 

Example, Cdim can have B7, D7, F7, Ab7 babies.

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
B [C down half-step], D#(Eb), F#(Gb), A =  B7

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
D, Gb, A, C = D7

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
F, A, C, D#(Eb) = F7

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
Ab, C, Eb, Gb = Ab7

If you raise a tone of a diminished a half-step and the baby you get is a Min6 (1, b3, 5, 6)

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
Gb, A, Db[C up half-step], Eb =  Gbmin6 (Eb-7b5)

The Half-Diminished and Minor 6 arpeggios are inversions of each other.

Raise two tones of a diminished a half-step and the baby you get is a Maj6 (1, 3, 5, 6)

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
A, C#[C up half-step], E[Eb up half-step], F#(Gb)  =  A6 (F#min7)

The Major 6 and Minor 7 arpeggios are inversions of each other.

Lower two different tones of a diminished a half-step and the baby you get is also a Maj 6 (1, 3, 5, 6)

C, Eb, Gb, A becomes
D[Eb down half-step], F#(Gb), A, B[C down half-step]  =  D6 (Bmin7)

From the Chromatic split you get the Whole-Tone.
From the Whole Tone's intermingling, you get the three diminished.
By moving one or two tones up or down from the diminished arpeggios, you get all the Major 6, Minor 7, Half-Diminished, and Dominant arpeggios.

From each diminished:
lower one tone a half-step = dominant
raise one tone a half-step = min6 (min7b5 inversion)
raise two different tones a half-step = Maj6 (min7 inversion)
lower two different tones a half-step = Maj6 (min7 inversion)

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