Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept Pdf Patched May 2026

The practical application of the Intervallistic Concept is most famous for its use of Triads.

Harris posited that you could imply complex harmonic colors by superimposing simple major triads over a given root. This is not a new concept (it is the basis of upper-structure triads), but Harris systematized it in a unique way that removed the need to memorize exotic scale names.

The Math of the Concept: If you play a Major Triad (Root, 3rd, 5th) starting on different degrees of a scale, you create "intervals" against the original root.

Harris developed exercises where the student practices these triads in all 12 keys. The goal is to stop thinking "I am playing a D Major scale" and start hearing the intervallic relationship (the 9, #11, 13) against the drone of the root. eddie harris intervallistic concept pdf patched

While you hunt for the patched PDF, you can start practicing the Intervallistic Concept right now using a simple "Brute Force" method. Eddie Harris called this "The Shuffle."

Exercise 1: The Interval Cycle (No Horn Required) Take a root note: C. Choose an interval: Minor 3rd (3 half-steps). Move up by that interval: C → Eb → Gb → A → C (octave). Now, reverse direction, but change the interval quality. This builds neural pathways between notes that ignore key signatures.

Exercise 2: The Broken PDF Workaround Assuming you have a corrupted PDF that only has text, look for the section titled "The 12 Tone Row minus 1." Harris believed that playing 11 of the 12 tones in strict interval order (alternating Major 2nds and Minor 7ths) creates the most "vocal" melodic line. The practical application of the Intervallistic Concept is

Write this out: C (root), D (Major 2nd), C (down Minor 7th? No—Harris’s rule: always change direction after a half-step). Just play this sequence on your instrument:

C - D - B - C# - Bb - A - G# - F# - G - F - E

Notice there is no scale. There is only distance. This is the Intervallistic Concept in a nutshell. Triad on the b7 (Bb): Bb Major Triad

Eddie Harris (1934–1996) was a pioneering jazz saxophonist known for his electric saxophone, his hit “Freedom Jazz Dance,” and his deeply original approach to improvisation. In the 1970s, he self-published a book and method titled The Intervallistic Concept, which lays out his personal system for jazz improvisation based on intervals rather than traditional chord-scale theory.

Instead of thinking in terms of modes or chord changes, Harris’s concept focuses on:

The method is highly respected but also quite rare and difficult to obtain legally in digital form.

No restoration can fix the fundamental opacity of Harris’s writing style. He was a mystic as much as a musician. He writes things like: “The tritone is the question. The perfect fifth is the answer. But the minor sixth is the silence after the answer.” This is inspiring poetry but terrible pedagogy for a beginner.

Furthermore, the “patched” PDF retains one irreparable flaw from the original: no play-along or audio. Harris intended for a 2-LP set to accompany the book, but it was never released. You are left with 90 dense pages of interval charts and philosophical asides, and no guide track. The restoration cannot fix the fact that you will spend weeks wondering if you’re doing the “C up major 6th” cycle correctly.