Harmony Lessons, Book 2 (Note Speller 4): Piano Book

This book solves a real scheduling problem: harmony instruction no longer requires carving out dedicated theory time. Because the material integrates directly into regular piano lessons, students develop harmonic fluency and arranging skills without disrupting the flow of their core piano studies. By the end of Book 2, students move beyond passive reading to active musicmaking—harmonizing melodies and transposing pieces, which deepens their understanding of how chords function and move.

Practical and purposeful. The book moves from observation (identifying harmony in familiar pieces) to execution (building your own chord accompaniments), creating a sense of agency rather than passive study. The exercises feel achievable because they build on patterns you've already encountered in your regular repertoire.

Piano teachers who want their students to understand how chords function and how to voice them across the keyboard, without dedicating separate theory class time. This is especially valuable for students working through the Schaum method who are ready to apply their technical skills to arranging and harmonic thinking.

• Work through one exercise at a time, playing the given melody while experimenting with different accompaniment patterns before moving to the next. This builds internalized chord knowledge rather than mechanical note-reading.
• When approaching the transposition exercises, choose a comfortable starting key first, then transpose to one new key at a time. Reusing the same harmonic patterns in different keys reinforces their portability across the instrument.
• Use the composition exercises as springboards for improvisation. After completing a written assignment, spend time at the piano exploring how small changes to chord rhythm or voicing alter the melodic effect.

Integrate this as part of the regular piano curriculum rather than as a separate unit. Teachers can assign one or two exercises per week alongside Schaum repertoire or other piano pieces, so harmony becomes an ongoing conversation about how melodies are supported. The composition and transposition sections work especially well as capstone activities at the end of a lesson cycle.

• Identifying and voicing primary triads (I, IV, V) in major and minor keys
• Harmonizing melodies using blocked chords, broken chords, and Alberti bass patterns
• Transposing harmonized melodies to different keys
• Composing simple harmonic progressions under a given melody
• Recognizing how harmonic rhythm and accompaniment texture affect a melody