# Best way of learning harmony?



## Manok

I realized part of my problem writing music is I only have a basic understanding of harmony, and I'd like to know more about how chords work together, along with chords and melody, I have a feeling this can only help me create more complex music. I was playing Beethoven the other day and realized that he does things with harmonies that I never thought of, even things I use every day, so that's my question, I want to be better with at least understanding harmony in general, it doesn't matter if it's modern or classical just general harmony.


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## BabyGiraffe

Use Wikipedia - there are many great articles that are compiled from different harmonic manuals and historical theories.

Beethoven usually uses the resources of the Ionian (Natural major), Aeolian (Natural minor), Melodic minor and Harmonic Minor scales. You can encounter some Neapolitan cadences and Double harmonic cadences in his music, but he is not really using these modes melodically (or at least I can't remember hearing them). His late works are derived from dissonant pitch class sets, so you forget about normal analysis and use pitch class set calculator.
There are some good harmony manuals out there, but I have yet to find one that is complete or without nonsense statements (usually wrong analysis of a passage, not recognising the mode that composer used).

http://imslp.org/wiki/Guide_to_the_Practical_Study_of_Harmony_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)

For 20th century harmony, get _one _of these: "Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Music" or "Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory", or "Twentieth-Century Harmony: Creative Aspects and Practice", or "Understanding Post-Tonal Music", or download this:
https://archive.org/details/harmonicmaterial00hans
For "out of the world" stuff like Xenakis or Stockhausen, check their articles, interviews and books.


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## EdwardBast

BabyGiraffe said:


> Use Wikipedia - there are many great articles that are compiled from different harmonic manuals and historical theories.
> 
> *Beethoven usually uses the resources of the Ionian (Natural major), Aeolian (Natural minor), Melodic minor and Harmonic Minor scales. You can encounter some Neapolitan cadences and Double harmonic cadences in his music, but he is not really using these modes melodically (or at least I can't remember hearing them). His late works are derived from dissonant pitch class sets, so you forget about normal analysis and use pitch class set calculator.
> There are some good harmony manuals out there, but I have yet to find one that is complete or without nonsense statements (usually wrong analysis of a passage, not recognising the mode that composer used).*
> 
> http://imslp.org/wiki/Guide_to_the_Practical_Study_of_Harmony_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)
> 
> For 20th century harmony, get _one _of these: "Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Music" or "Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory", or "Twentieth-Century Harmony: Creative Aspects and Practice", or "Understanding Post-Tonal Music", or download this:
> https://archive.org/details/harmonicmaterial00hans
> For "out of the world" stuff like Xenakis or Stockhausen, check their articles, interviews and books.


Ignore the bold portion of the above. None of the technical terms are used in a meaningful way and some of it is complete nonsense. The bit about Beethoven's late works being "derived from dissonant pitch class sets, so you forget about normal analysis" is so ridiculously wrong it should stop you from taking any of this post seriously. Late Beethoven is routinely analyzed using the standard vocabulary of common practice music.

Any decent undergraduate harmony book (Walter Piston, Kostka-Payne) is a good place to begin, but since written exercises are a critical part of a course of study, one should have a teacher or someone to check your work and offer advice and criticism. Studying counterpoint is just as important as studying harmony, but most theory programs start with harmony and do counterpoint as upper level undergraduate work.

How to find someone to guide the study of harmony is tricky. Do you live near or have contact with a university or college where music is taught?


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## millionrainbows

Use the white notes of the piano as a "template," and it is all laid out for you. Then you can apply this template to other keys.

Just make simple 3-note triads on each step.

C-D-E-F-G-A-B (major keys) is I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-vii.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G (minor keys) is i-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-VII.


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## Manok

I do, I took 4 years of piano at one of them after school in high school, I can't really afford lessons of any sort at the moment anyway, so I'll have to scrounge around for what I can find online. For fun I've been reading Tchaikovsky's book on harmony, but I know that probably won't be enough, though it's probably to put me ahead of where I am now. I'd love book recommendations I also enjoy listening to 20th century music, but can find very little info on techniques used to create the music. I don't mean 12 tone stuff, but the stuff that came later.


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## EdwardBast

Manok said:


> I do, I took 4 years of piano at one of them after school in high school, I can't really afford lessons of any sort at the moment anyway, so I'll have to scrounge around for what I can find online. For fun I've been reading Tchaikovsky's book on harmony, but I know that probably won't be enough, though it's probably to put me ahead of where I am now. I'd love book recommendations I also enjoy listening to 20th century music, but can find very little info on techniques used to create the music. I don't mean 12 tone stuff, but the stuff that came later.


If I weren't living in the middle of nowhere I'd look through multiple more current theory books before making a suggestion. But you might try Walter Piston's Harmony, which you should be able to find in any library with a good music section. Doesn't matter much what edition. It has extensive exercises and proceeds in a graded logical way. (Or try another one like the Kostka-Payne.) But when you get to trying some of the harmonization exercises, and if you can find a way to post your exercises on this forum, you might be able to get some criticism and help here. I and others with a knowledge of theory have done this for others and I would be happy to pitch in.


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## Sekhar

I strongly second Kostka-Payne (Tonal Harmony), which I believe is a fantastic text, especially for your situation. It is comprehensive in that it starts at zero and goes on to cover a lot of harmonic principles that we should know, and you can start anywhere you want. I love the self test exercises that are usually challenging (to me anyway), test your understanding, and come with answers you can check. Lots of real (from actual literature) illustrative examples with accompanied audio (need to buy CD separately though), which I think are awesome because they illustrate the principles through real life examples. There is also a workbook if you're interested (but it's more for when you're taking a class).

It can be a bit academic at places though and you have to like the style (I like it, but there are folks who thinks it's hard to understand in places). An apparently easier and better-laid-out text is "The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis" by Clendinning and Marvin. I have not seen this book, but I know there are many who prefer this over Kostka-Payne as a general theory text.


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## Manok

Is there someplace I can get Tonal Harmony for less than $100?


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## Taggart

If you want an older edition - $6 - https://www.amazon.com/Tonal-Harmon...03436984&sr=8-5&keywords=tonal+harmony+kostka

That's the 5th edition - it doesn't have all the post-tonal material of the latest edition or the extra e-book stuff.


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## Dumbo

I'll make a crazy suggestion. It's a free PDF download at Imslp and other places. Theory of Harmony by Arnold Schoenberg. (1906?)

It's the book I learned from and I still prefer it to the others. Don't be freaked by it being by Schoenberg. Schoenberg taught good ol' normal music harmony starting with the basics. If you have a garage band understanding of music, you'll be fine.

What I still like about it is what other people hate: It's wordy. Schoenberg goes off on personal riffs only dimly related to the topic, which is endearing or maddening, but it doesn't change the usefulness of the book.

And he has good explanations of why some chord changes work better than others, like IV to ii being stronger than ii to IV. (In simpler language, if you're in C major, going from an F chord) to a d minor chord has more oomph than d minor to F.) He explains it very cutely in terms of kings and queens and royal courts.

I was thinking of writing an online series on music harmony theory for dummies, rock oriented. I'm sure it would bore most people here, though.


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## mikeh375

You could also try Harmonic Materials of Modern Music by Howard Hanson. A little pedantic, but opens up a wealth of material..Here it is....Free!

https://archive.org/details/harmonicmaterial00hans

http://mikehewer.com


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## mbhaub

My opinion: a teacher is vital. Someone who really knows their stuff, has a good ear, is critical and helpful. In counterpoint, a teacher is essential.

But...if you have no options about getting a teacher, there's one book that I think is better than most in explaining everything to the reader, provides plenty of examples, is brief and as real-world as it gets. It's Harmony in Western Music by Richard Franko Goldman. WW Norton published it. I studied harmony in college using Ottman and Piston, yet Goldman was always my go to book for clarification and explanation. It's the one music theory book I've kept for over 40 years. It's still useful. Search Ebay or used book shops.

Counterpoint: indispensable for wannabe composers or arrangers. You can probably teach yourself the fundamental species from a good book. I like Kennan over Piston. But as the complexity increases, a teacher is essential. Not surprisingly, I find many of today's college "professors" of music woefully inadequate in this difficult subject.

Orchestration: when Harmony and Counterpoint are mastered, then taking up orchestration is natural and armed with a solid knowledge of the above, orchestration - at a basic level - becomes almost simple. To be a wizard at it is very, very difficult. Study the masters: Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Puccini, Wagner, Mahler, R Strauss, Ravel, Debussy, Shostakovich...and many mor.


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## VishnuB

These two books are the most pellucid music-theoretical monographs I have ever come across-I cannot recommend them highly enough:

_Musical Structures in Wagnerian Opera_

_Hanbdook of Harmonic Analysis_

Leland Smith's book (_Handbook of Harmonic Analysis_) covers tonal harmony all the way through to its dissolution whereas Marshall Tuttle's book (_Musical Structures in Wagnerian Opera_) focuses on Wagner but reveals a great deal about the tonal system that is not talked about elsewhere as far as I know. PM me for a PDF of Tuttle's book-the Smith book is out of print so I have linked to a PDF above.


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## Dominic Erbacher

William Lovelock's work on harmonization is phenomenal.

and an obvious place for examples and inspiration is any piece of music, especially Baroque music such as Bach's Fugues.


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## Groooooove

Getting a good theory book will be helpful, and depending on where you are a tutor or if time and money allows, a college level theory course! 

even with all that, it will make the most sense if you experience it a lot - learning a lot of repertoire will build that vocabulary as longs your also putting in some effort to study harmony elsewhere.


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## Bevo

I don't know how far you are or what you've learned so far, the basic common chord progressions tend to follow simple pattern. The I chord can be followed by any chord; the iii chord is practically always followed by the vi chord; the vi is then usually followed by either the ii or IV chord; and that is usually followed by either the V or vii dim chord, leading to the I. Now there are obviously exceptions and different things that pop up now and then, such as the IV chord often leading to the I chord (referred to as the "Amen cadence"), and the Neapolitan chord bII leading to the V (usually used in minor keys), but this is a simple layout used in music. If you notice, the chords (except for the I of course) tend to pull up a fourth. The iii to the vi, the vi to the ii, the ii to the V, and the V to the I. With that in mind, secondary dominants are frequently used. A secondary dominant is essentially the V (or V7) of whatever chord you're going to. It is used both to spice things up, as well as to modulate or set up tonicization (a very brief change in tonal center). You frequently see this used leading to the V chord. For example, in the key of C the secondary dominant of G would be D major. This could be spelled as the V/V (the V of V). 
Something else to make sure you play around with are suspended chords (aka sus chords). These are often used with the V chord at the end of a phrase. For example, in C minor you could have the progression: C min, F min, Gsus4, G maj, C min. It seems to add a lot of emotion in my opinion. Anyways, there's plenty more out there, but it would take a LONG time to explain it all. Regardless, hope this helped a little and best of luck on your adventure!! :tiphat:


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## nenopro

The best way is to take private lessons with music-theorist teacher. Learning from youtube and different books and videos wont help, traditional harmony is too complex.


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## millionrainbows

Watch Rick Beato on YouTube! He's a fantastic teacher!

https://www.youtube.com/user/pegzch


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## Essey

Dumbo said:


> I'll make a crazy suggestion. It's a free PDF download at Imslp and other places. Theory of Harmony by Arnold Schoenberg. (1906?)
> 
> It's the book I learned from and I still prefer it to the others. Don't be freaked by it being by Schoenberg. Schoenberg taught good ol' normal music harmony starting with the basics. If you have a garage band understanding of music, you'll be fine.
> 
> What I still like about it is what other people hate: It's wordy. Schoenberg goes off on personal riffs only dimly related to the topic, which is endearing or maddening, but it doesn't change the usefulness of the book.
> (...)
> I was thinking of writing an online series on music harmony theory for dummies, rock oriented. I'm sure it would bore most people here, though.


It's a beautiful book. And yes, his way of explaining things while also flying off topic is 
extreamly endearing. 
I wanted to say that if you were still interested in writing a guide, you would have one decidedly not bored follower  I am very grateful you for your reccomendation.

Essey


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## Larkenfield

The best way of learning harmony, IMO,... is by starting off and playing an instrument, and it doesn't matter which one even if the piano is the one that offers the greatest advantages for studying chords, harmony, and counterpoint.

Get good on an instrument because it sharpens the instincts on many levels: harmony, melody, rhythm, timbre, articulation, and a host of other qualities and intangibles.

What the 21st century could use more of, also IMO, is the instrumentalist/composers, such as the great ones in the past: Bach, Scarlatti, Corelli, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Franck, Bruckner, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, etc. They excited the public and also had the gift of improvisation.

Yes, I'd love to see a new composer/virtuoso on the horizon though there have of course been composers who were not gifted instrumentalists. Alma Deutscher is about the only one that shows any promise that I know of and she's gifted in voice, piano, violin, opera, concertos, song-writing in her youthful 13 years of age.

Alma's dedicated and I can easily imagine her getting better as she matures. I can also imagine she will someday write an opera that captures the imagination of the public despite those who can only imagine that she will fail because she's not "modern" or "discordant" enough when her overriding interest is in _beauty_ and making the world a better place.


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