Basic Harmony

When I first began my journey as an organist, I quickly discovered something: the ability to improvise was not optional — it was essential. I was expected to fill space during the liturgy and to respond musically in the moment. But my early attempts at improvisation felt clumsy and unsatisfying. Why? Because I didn’t yet understand harmony in any real depth.

That realisation marked a turning point for me.

I began analysing the hymns, psalms, and anthems I was accompanying, trying to decode what made them sound coherent and expressive. It helped, but I still wasn’t happy. It wasn’t until I undertook a serious, structured study of harmony that my improvisation — and indeed all aspects of my musicianship — began to improve dramatically.

Since then, harmony has become a lifelong passion and a central part of my teaching for over 40 years.

That’s why we created this comprehensive online course in harmony here at Music Matters. It brings together everything I’ve learned — not only as a performer, composer and improviser, but as a teacher working with students at every level, from beginners to advanced. The course distils this experience into a clear, step-by-step curriculum focused on what really matters: the practical essentials of harmony.

We begin with the historical foundations — the modes that pre-date the Baroque — and follow the development of major and minor tonality. From there, we explore the Circle of Fifths, intervals, scales, chords, and cadences. We cover diatonic triads in both major and minor keys using Roman numeral analysis and lead sheet symbols, and show you how to build four-part harmony — using correct spacing, avoiding parallel fifths and octaves, and working within vocal ranges.

You’ll learn how to:

• Harmonise melodies and bass lines

• Compose melodies from chord progressions

• Use passing notes, auxiliary notes, anticipatory notes, and other decorative devices

• Understand and apply cadences in both major and minor keys

• Navigate voice leading, inversions, and figured bass

And, crucially, we always tie this back to practical music-making — whether you’re arranging, composing, improvising, or simply trying to understand what makes the music you love work. This is why we’ve also produced an ebook, which summarises the key points and also offers examples to illustrate each point.

This is not a dry academic exercise. It’s a living, breathing toolkit for musicians.

Whether you’re a performing musician, or aspiring composer — or simply someone who wants to understand harmony properly — this course is designed to give you the foundation you need, taught in a way that is clear, structured, and musically useful.

In essence, this course is everything I wish I’d had when I first sat at the organ bench, trying to make musical sense out of thin air. It’s the result of a lifetime of study, performance, and teaching — and it’s now here for you.

If you’re ready to transform your understanding of music — and unlock the creative freedom that comes with real harmonic fluency — I warmly invite you to join us. I look forward to seeing you inside the course.