Harmony Lessons, Book 1 (Note Speller 3): Piano Book

This book solves a genuine teaching problem: how to introduce harmony concepts without abandoning your lesson plan or asking students to learn four-part voice leading in the traditional sense. Schaum's approach here keeps harmony grounded in accompaniment writing and melodic transposition, which means students build practical skills they'll actually use rather than studying theory in a vacuum. The 32-page format is intentionally compact, designed to fit naturally into regular piano lessons without becoming a separate course.

Working through this book feels like a natural extension of learning to read notes. Harmony concepts unfold gradually and stay connected to actual music the student is playing, so there's no jarring shift into abstract theory. Each lesson builds confidence in recognizing harmonic patterns and understanding how accompaniment supports melody.

Piano teachers who want their students to understand harmonic function and accompaniment writing without setting aside dedicated theory time. It also serves intermediate pianists ready to move beyond single-line melodies but not yet prepared for traditional harmony coursework. The book assumes students are working through the Schaum Note Speller series and have basic music reading skills in place.

• When introducing a new harmony concept, play the example first so students hear the sound before analyzing the mechanics on the page.
• Use transposition exercises to reinforce intervallic thinking; moving a melody up or down by a step or third trains the ear faster than memorizing interval names.
• Have students play the melody and accompaniment separately before combining them, so they understand how each layer functions independently.
• Encourage students to compose their own accompaniments using the patterns presented, turning theory into immediate creative application.

This is a supplementary resource rather than a performance-focused book, so integrate it into your private lesson curriculum or group piano classes as a way to deepen musicality and understanding. Use it concurrently with whatever repertoire students are learning; the transposition and accompaniment techniques transfer directly to the pieces they're preparing. If you teach students who play other instruments and want them to understand harmony from a keyboard perspective, this book offers accessible entry points without assuming prior knowledge.

• Harmonic accompaniment writing in contemporary (non-traditional voice-leading) contexts
• Melodic and harmonic transposition
• Recognition of harmonic progressions in practical arrangements
• Coordination of melody and accompaniment at the keyboard
• Application of harmony concepts to original compositions