Necessary Theory and Harmonization Skills for the Piano Student

A Study Of Major Scales, Arpeggios, Chords And Cadences, And Secondary Dominants In The Major Keys.
Songs For Harmonizing And Analysis, And Composition Drills Both For Piano Solo And Ensemble.

NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR (abridged)
I wrote this text for piano students who wish to take their theory knowledge and apply it to creating the following: accompaniments to folk tunes, melodic bass lines, countermelodies, and new melodies over standard chord changes. l want students to have a good understanding of the usage of secondary dominants, harmonic rhythm, common cadences, and voicing through the use of common tones. Every theory exercise should have a musical goal which is not only an understanding of harmonic function but also the application of theoretical principles in the creation of arrangements. My goals are:
1) for students to not only read and perform the standard literature well, but also to be fluent at creating their own music
2) for students to learn folk literature and be able to create accompaniments to it
3) for students to be able to "hear" the harmony of a new piece in their mind even before they start playing it
4) to enable the student to analyze the chords in the piano literature
5) to create reference books for students who wish to play in school jazz ensembles

This text focuses only on the major keys. The student should have a basic knowledge of music through their method series or by other means before using this book. Every chord presented is labeled with the letter name, the chord quality, the function and the inversion. Scales and arpeggios are presented in the one and two octave format to coordinate with technical exercises and literature presented in the Learner and Transition Levels of The Piano Curriculum Guide by Dr. Tinka Knopf de Esteban which is published by Piano Teacher's Press.

Elizabeth Manduca