ABSTRACT

Harmony at the Piano adapts the traditional study of keyboard harmony to the practical needs of modern piano students, using innovative exercises to help students practice their repertoire more deliberately, consciously, and creatively.

The author introduces the essential elements of harmony through extensive examples from real piano music. Rooted in the understanding that the language of tonal harmony is best assimilated at the keyboard, this textbook:

  • Gives students effective practice methods for learning repertoire, including techniques for memorizing music in a deliberate, analytical way.
  • Connects harmony to musical expression, enabling students to make interpretive decisions based on their understanding of harmony.
  • Contains extensive practice drills in each chapter, including chord progressions, figured bass, melody harmonization, reduction techniques, transposition, repertoire study, and more.

Designed to support a full college or conservatory course in keyboard harmony, this book clearly connects the study of harmony to practical musicianship and keyboard skills, providing an essential resource for all instructors and students of advanced piano music.

Extensive online resources complement this textbook, including suggested realizations of the figured bass exercises, the original scores of the melody harmonization and fill-in-the-blank exercises, as well as additional exercises and examples.

chapter |3 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|16 pages

Root Position Triads

chapter 2|15 pages

First Inversion Triads

chapter 3|11 pages

Sequences with Triads

chapter 4|14 pages

Embellishing Tones

chapter 5|12 pages

Second Inversion Triads

chapter 7|13 pages

Inversions of the Dominant Seventh Chord

chapter 8|15 pages

Secondary Dominant Chords

chapter 9|13 pages

Diatonic Modulation

chapter 10|15 pages

The Supertonic Seventh Chord

chapter 11|16 pages

Sequences with Seventh Chords

chapter 12|10 pages

The Leading Tone Seventh Chord in Minor

chapter 13|12 pages

Secondary Diminished Chords

chapter 14|8 pages

The Leading Tone Seventh Chord in Major

chapter 15|9 pages

The Neapolitan Sixth Chord

chapter 16|13 pages

Augmented Sixth Chords

chapter 17|15 pages

Chromatic Voice Leading Techniques