Most jazz education is scalar or chord-tone based. The Intervallistic Concept frees you from "correct notes" and trains your ear to hear distance , which is how many avant-garde players (Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, even later Coltrane) think. It’s particularly useful for:
The breaks away from traditional scalar pathways. Instead of thinking about lines as successions of scale degrees, Harris conceptualised improvisation through geometric, wide-interval leaps. By organising lines around specific interval patterns—such as fourths, fifths, tritones, and sevenths—Harris created a angular, modern sound that instantly cuts through a rhythm section. Core Philosophy of the System
Harris possessed an extraordinary command of the altissimo register and a highly idiosyncratic ear. He wanted a method that bypassed the predictable, stepwise motion of major and minor scales. The result was a rigorous, geometric study of intervals that forced the hands and the mind to leap across registers, creating a jagged, angular, and instantly modern sound. Unpacking the Intervallistic Concept
According to Jamey Aebersold Jazz and available documentation, this 192-page (often cited in different editions) resource includes: eddie harris intervallistic concept pdf
Connect that cell to the next one by a half step: Ab - A - D - G - C.
The method is available as a comprehensive book, often sold as a combined 3-volume edition published by .
For musicians, especially wind players seeking to break free from linear, scale-based soloing, the Intervallistic Concept is a masterclass in developing a modern, sophisticated harmonic vocabulary. What is the Eddie Harris Intervallistic Concept? Most jazz education is scalar or chord-tone based
: You can often find study excerpts or partial PDF uploads on academic or document-sharing sites like Sheet Music Library or Scribd. Eddie Harris - Skips | PDF - Scribd
"Musical sounds are the language of the world; only when [they] are analyzed and categorized is when man fails to realize that a musical sound is the beauty of life itself." Content Breakdown by Volume
Eddie Harris’s original instructional books—such as The Intervallistic Concept for All Single-Line Instruments —were published independently and in limited runs. Because these physical books are incredibly rare and often out of print, modern jazz educators, saxophonists, and students actively search for digital PDF scans to study his exact handwritten exercises. What to Look For in a Legitimate Resource: Instead of thinking about lines as successions of
Bebop relies heavily on stepwise motion with occasional leaps. Harris inverted this formula. His concepts force the musician to practice wide, angular leaps—such as jumping a major 7th up, dropping a tritone down, and ascending a minor 6th. This "disjointed" motion creates a highly modern, unpredictable melodic contour. 3. Digital Patterns and Permutations
If you want, I can: