Coming September of 2026 on Oxford University Press

Harmony (for Composers and Arrangers) examines the harmonic language of 20th  and 21st-century Western popular music. Written in clear, accessible language and supported by simple musical examples, it is designed for musicians of all skill levels, including those with limited keyboard experience. The book introduces a scale-degree-based approach to understanding harmonic patterns and is organized as a glossary of common harmonic sounds found in popular music styles. Harmony (for Composers and Arrangers) defines the basic diatonic building blocks of western harmony. From that foundation, it introduces chromatic elements, beginning with secondary dominants before branching out into diminished seventh chords, substitute dominants, modal interchange chords, and slash chords. It also explores the three most common types of modulation: direct, pivot, and sequential. The second half of the book applies the same methodology to minor key harmony, outlining the chords derived from Composite Minor before moving into chromaticism. The final section includes two original arrangements offering practical demonstrations of the concepts covered. Each arrangement includes a harmonic analysis and highlights changes made to the original harmonic material  during the arranging process. Recordings of these arrangements are provided for reference as readers follow the annotated scores.