What is the Best Way to Learn Harmony?

Piano students often ask me “What is the best way to learn harmony?” They correctly sense that they’ll understand music better and have an easier time learning new pieces and improvising if they learn chords and theory, but they’re not sure exactly which book to use, or if there’s a better way to learn theory.

Basically, there are 3 steps:
1. Learn chords
2. Understand how chords go together to form progressions (functional harmony)
3. Pick a style of music you love and investigate its harmonic characteristics in detail

I’ve made this video to help you by demonstrating these ideas further:

If you have any questions about understanding harmony, please leave them in the comments below.

You might also like:
How To Play Jazz Piano (Part 1: Immersion Through Listening)
Musical Wisdom From Thelonious Monk and Keith Richards
10 Ways To Improve Your Piano Improv Skills

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