Tonal Harmony
by Stefan Kostka · first published 1984
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Tonal Harmony, written by Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne, is a key text in musical theory that clearly and structured the concepts of tonal harmony, from the basics to more complex ideas. It includes practical exercises, analysis of scores and a historical approach that enriches learning, making it a resource widely used in music and universities schools. In addition, it usually offers complementary material, such as study guides and online resources, which reinforce the concepts treated.
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…undergrad; I loved it, and learned a great deal! I recommend sitting in on a university music theory course if it all possible. But, if not, I can at least recommend the textbook we used: Kostka and Payne's Tonal Harmony. If you want to learn slowly, from the beginning, it's a great resource. Our instructor told us that, by the end of the first semester, we would be writing four-part chorales and that we'd sound like…
on “Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?” ↗Anyone curious about the style of composition should read about Counterpoint[0]. If you want a decent, comprehensive dive into music theory and composition you can pick up any old edition of Tonal Harmony. [0]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint
on “Analysis of Bach's information-dense music” ↗