Intervallistic Concept Pdf - Eddie Harris

The Intervallistic Concept is a comprehensive instructional series by legendary jazz saxophonist and innovator Eddie Harris

. Designed for all single-line instruments (saxophone, trumpet, flute, etc.), the method moves beyond traditional chord-scale approaches to focus on the mathematical and creative use of intervals. Overview of the Method

The concept is structured to help musicians develop a "piano-style" approach on monophonic instruments, emphasizing leaps and non-linear melodic movements over standard stepwise scales. It is often sold as a three-volume collection or a single massive edition (approximately 192 to 321 pages depending on the publisher). Volume I (Foundations):

Covers basic interval exercises and foundational concepts to help players internalize and "hear" various leaps. Volume II (Advanced Techniques):

Introduces complex applications such as superimposing intervals, polytonality, and asymmetrical meters. Volume III (Application):

Provides examples of compositions and solos showing how to apply these intervallic ideas across genres like blues, funk, and Latin jazz. Key Technical Focus Areas

The book provides a "thorough workout" for both technical and harmonic resources, featuring hundreds of studies on: Advanced Harmony: Chord substitutions, polychords, and superimposed triads. Technical Mastery: Altissimo playing, modulations, sequences, and cycles. Rhythmic Precision: Complex syncopation and rhythmic variations. Stretta Music Unique Features Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept Pdf - Facebook

Eddie Harris (1934–1996) was a jazz saxophonist known for his innovative approaches to improvisation. His Intervallistic Concept focuses on using intervals (rather than chord changes or scales) as the primary basis for melodic improvisation.

Here’s a text summary you could use as content for a self-made PDF or study guide:

Title: Eddie Harris – The Intervallistic Concept (Overview)

Core Principle:
Instead of thinking of chords (Cmin7, G7, etc.), Harris encourages players to think in terms of interval relationships from a chosen note. Any interval can be played over any chord as long as it is executed with rhythmic and melodic conviction.

Key Components:

  1. Twelve-Tone Interval Matrix
    Harris organizes all 12 chromatic pitches into interval families:

    • Minor 2nd (half step)
    • Major 2nd (whole step)
    • Minor 3rd
    • Major 3rd
    • Perfect 4th
    • Tritone (augmented 4th/diminished 5th)
    • Perfect 5th, etc.
      Each interval is practiced ascending and descending from every starting pitch.

  2. Interval Cycles
    He practices cycles of a fixed interval (e.g., ascending major 3rds: C–E–G#–C) without regard to key center. This builds "intervallic ear training" and fingerboard/vocabulary freedom.

  3. Non-functional Harmony
    The concept works over static vamps, modal tunes, or standard changes. The player superimposes interval patterns, creating tension/release based on the distance between notes, not the chord scale.

  4. Rhythm & Articulation
    Harris stresses that intervals must be played with strong jazz articulation (swing, accents, ghost notes). Even abstract intervals can sound idiomatic if phrased correctly.

  5. Avoiding Pattern Repetition
    He advises against predictable sequences. Instead, vary interval direction, skip sizes, and note lengths to maintain spontaneity. eddie harris intervallistic concept pdf

Practical Exercise (from Harris’s approach):
Pick a pitch (e.g., C). Improvise using only major 3rd intervals up and down (C–E, E–G#, G#–C, C–Ab, Ab–E, etc.). Do this over a blues or modal tune. Gradually introduce different intervals (4ths, tritones, minor 7ths).

In Harris’s own words (paraphrased):

“The chord tells you where you are, but the interval tells you where you’re going. If you can hear and execute any interval from any note, you’re free.”

To find an actual PDF of Eddie Harris’s original instructional material, try searching:

  • "Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept PDF"
  • "Eddie Harris jazz intervals method"
  • Checking jazz forums (Sax on the Web, Reddit’s r/Jazz or r/Saxophonics)
  • Looking for out‑of‑print book titles: Eddie Harris: Intervallistic Concept (possibly self‑published or via Jamey Aebersold archives)

Here’s a helpful feature summary of what that concept generally entails, based on references from his educational materials (like his book Intervallistic Concept for the Saxophone):

Unlocking the Chromatic Universe: The Quest for the Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept PDF

For decades, the name Eddie Harris has resonated far beyond the cool, smoky confines of the traditional jazz club. Known primarily for his soul-jazz anthem Freedom Jazz Dance and his pioneering work on the electric saxophone and Varitone device, Harris was more than just a performer. He was a mathematical mystic of melody. Among serious improvisers, music theorists, and obsessive collectors, one term carries an almost legendary, cryptic weight: The Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept.

To the uninitiated, searching for the "Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept PDF" is a digital rite of passage. It is a quest that leads down rabbit holes of defunct forums, contradictory file-sharing links, and philosophical debates about what the "concept" actually entails. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to that search: what the concept is, why a PDF of it is so coveted, and—most importantly—how the system works to fundamentally change the way a musician views the fretboard or keyboard.

How to Find or Reconstruct the Concept

Legal & Practical Sources:

  • Check the Eddie Harris Estate – Contacting his family or estate managers (sometimes via the label WenHa Records) may yield authorized materials.
  • University Jazz Libraries – Schools like North Texas, Berklee, or Indiana University have special collections that might include Harris’s unpublished lesson sheets.
  • Used Book Sites – Search for "Eddie Harris instructional materials" or "Eddie Harris Intervallistic" on AbeBooks or eBay. A rare booklet sometimes surfaces.

Reconstruct the Concept Yourself (Recommended): You don’t need the PDF to apply the principle. Here’s a practical exercise Harris used:

  1. Pick an interval (e.g., minor 3rd = 3 half-steps).
  2. Improvise a melody using ONLY that interval (C → Eb → F# → A → C, etc.). Jump it up and down.
  3. Add a second interval (e.g., perfect 4th). Alternate between them.
  4. Play over a static chord (e.g., Cm7). Ignore the chord tones—just focus on the sound of the intervals.
  5. Transcribe Eddie Harris solos – Listen to "Listen Here," "Mean Greens," or "Exodus." You’ll hear him leap in 4ths and 5ths constantly. That is the concept in action.

Part 6: Is the PDF Worth the Hype?

If you find it, will it make you a genius? No. But it will break your habits.

Critics argue that the Intervallistic Concept sounds "mathematical" and lacking in lyricism. Indeed, players who only cycle intervals risk sounding like a robot running an algorithm.

However, Harris’s secret was that he swung the mathematics. He used the concept as a springboard, not a cage. He would play a cycle for two bars, then resolve it into a blues lick.

The Verdict: The value of the "Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept PDF" is not in the paper itself, but in the permission it grants you. It gives you permission to stop thinking about "C minor 7" and start thinking about "leaps of 5, 2, and 4."

Unlocking the Chromatic Universe: The Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept PDF

The "Magic" Formula

Harris famously practiced patterns moving in Major 3rds. Because a Major 3rd divides the octave perfectly into three equal parts (C, E, G#), playing triads over this cycle creates a hypnotic, symmetrical sound. This is the cornerstone of the Intervallistic Concept.

5. Application in Performance

Eddie Harris's own playing is the best case study for this book.

  • Listen to his track "Freedom Jazz Dance" (famously covered by Miles Davis). The head (melody) is a prime example of intervallistic construction—it moves in jagged, wide leaps rather than smooth steps.
  • His solo on "Exodus" demonstrates how he navigates the horn with ease across the entire range, a direct result of his intervallic practice.

Why this matters for Jazz

Jazz is heavily based on syncopation and rhythmic displacement. By breaking away from step-wise scale motion and adopting Harris's Intervallistic Concept, your lines will naturally become more angular, surprising, and melodic. It is the exact concept used by modern jazz giants like Mark Turner, Chris Potter, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, even if they don't explicitly call it by Harris's name. E. (1969). "Intervallic Improvisation." DownBeat

Tip: If you want to see this concept in action before buying the book, go to YouTube and search for "Eddie Harris live 1970s." Listen to how rarely he plays consecutive scale tones; he is constantly leaping by 4ths, 5ths, and 6ths.

Eddie Harris's The Intervallistic Concept is a comprehensive instructional method designed to expand the harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary of improvisers and composers. Originally written for saxophone but applicable to all single-line wind instruments, the book focuses on non-traditional melodic movement and advanced technical facility. Core Philosophical Principles

Harris based the method on a set of "Eddieisms" that encourage musical freedom and the belief that there are no "wrong" choices if played with the right intention: Charles Colin Music Succession over Correction : "There are no wrong intervals if played in succession". Connection & Inflection

: Harris emphasized that "wrong" notes or chords are actually just issues of connection, progression, or inflection. Music as Life

: He viewed musical sounds as a universal language that should be felt rather than overly over-analyzed or "chastised". Charles Colin Music Method Structure and Content

The book (often found as a 192-page spiral-bound edition or a multi-volume 321-page version) covers a wide array of technical and creative studies: Jamey Aebersold Jazz Interval Studies

: Exercises focusing on wide leaps and non-diatonic interval patterns to break away from standard scalar playing. Harmonic Expansion

: Includes hundreds of studies on chord substitution, polychords, superimposed triads, and modern cycles. Rhythmic Resources : Lessons on advanced syncopation and rhythmic modulations. Altissimo Mastery

: Harris provides numerous fingerings and exercises for the saxophone's altissimo range (e.g., specific fingerings for high

) to help players navigate the upper register with the same ease as the standard range. Practical Application Versatility

: While written by a saxophonist, the logic is "straightforward" and can be applied by flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone players, as well as pianists and guitarists. Flexibility

: The material is designed to be practiced either systematically from start to finish or randomly to spark immediate creativity. The book is published by Charles Colin Music Publications and is available through retailers like Jamey Aebersold Jazz EddieHarris.com specific interval exercise from the book or more information on his altissimo fingering charts Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept Pdf - Facebook

Elias was a technical wizard on the tenor sax, but he felt trapped. He could run scales until the pads of his fingers bled, but his solos felt like predictable lines on a map. He’d heard the legends of Eddie Harris—the man who didn't just play jazz, but electrified it. People called Harris a "mad scientist" for his wide-interval leaps that defied the physics of the reed.

He double-tapped the screen. The PDF opened to a dizzying array of Fourth-based patterns and geometric jumps.

"Don't play the notes," a voice seemed to echo from the grain of the 1970s scans. "Play the space between them."

Elias blew a low Bb, then tried to snap up a perfect eleventh, just as the manual dictated. The note cracked. It sounded like a bird hitting a window. He tried again. And again. For three hours, the room was filled with the sound of "intentional dissonance." such as the minor second

Around midnight, something shifted. His fingers stopped thinking in "do-re-mi" and started thinking in "here-to-there." He began to see the fretboard of his mind not as a ladder, but as a series of portals. He played a lick that bypassed the melodic "safety" of the scale, jumping from a low resonant growl to a shimmering altissimo skip.

It was angular. It was jagged. It was exactly what Eddie Harris had promised—a way to break the circular handcuffs of traditional bebop.

Elias looked at the PDF one last time before turning off the screen. He didn't need the digital map anymore. He had finally learned how to jump.

Introduction

Eddie Harris was a renowned American jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger. His intervallic concept, which he developed in the 1960s, is a unique approach to improvisation and composition that emphasizes the use of specific intervals to create melodic lines. This concept has been influential in jazz and continues to inspire musicians today.

The Intervallic Concept

Harris's intervallic concept is based on the idea of using specific intervals to create melodic lines that are both coherent and unpredictable. He identified a set of intervals that he believed were particularly effective in creating tension and release, and he used these intervals to construct solos and compositions.

The concept involves using a range of intervals, from small (e.g., minor seconds, major thirds) to large (e.g., perfect fifths, octaves), to create melodic lines that are both lyrical and dissonant. Harris believed that by using these intervals in a specific way, musicians could create solos that were both spontaneous and logical.

Key Features

Some key features of Harris's intervallic concept include:

  1. Emphasis on non-diatonic intervals: Harris's concept emphasizes the use of non-diatonic intervals, such as the minor second, major third, and tritone, to create tension and release.
  2. Use of intervallic patterns: Harris used specific intervallic patterns, such as sequences of minor seconds or major thirds, to create melodic lines.
  3. Focus on melodic contour: Harris's concept emphasizes the importance of melodic contour, or the shape of the melody, in creating a sense of narrative and emotional arc.

Influence and Legacy

Harris's intervallic concept has had a significant influence on jazz and continues to inspire musicians today. Many musicians, including saxophonists like Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson, have been influenced by Harris's approach to improvisation and composition.

Criticisms and Limitations

Some critics have argued that Harris's intervallic concept can be overly rigid or formulaic, limiting the musician's ability to respond spontaneously to changing musical situations. Others have noted that the concept can be difficult to apply in different musical contexts, such as in ensemble playing or in different styles of music.

Conclusion

Eddie Harris's intervallic concept is a unique and influential approach to improvisation and composition that continues to inspire musicians today. While it has its limitations and criticisms, the concept remains an important part of jazz history and a valuable tool for musicians looking to expand their melodic vocabulary.

References

  • Harris, E. (1969). "Intervallic Improvisation." DownBeat, 36(10), 18-20.
  • Porter, L. (1994). "The Intervallic Concept of Eddie Harris." Jazz Research, 12(1), 35-52.
  • Gitlin, M. (2015). "Eddie Harris: The Intervallic Concept." The Jazz Times, 40(10), 30-35.

If you're looking for a PDF of Eddie Harris's intervallic concept, I couldn't find a specific document that outlines the concept in a single PDF. However, some of Harris's articles and interviews have been published online or in jazz journals, and these may provide insight into his approach.