In China's music education system, there is a textbook that is an absolute classic. Every conservatory uses the 'Harmony' textbook by Sposobin for music theory instruction. It is the most standardized, easiest to teach, and most exam-oriented textbook, which is why it is ubiquitous across the country. This theoretical system was originally the official curriculum of the Soviet Union. After the founding of the PRC, our music education heavily referenced the Soviet model, effectively adopting this book in its entirety. Sposobin’s Harmony offers very clear functional harmony classifications and extremely strict rules for voice leading—there is a distinct right and wrong—making it highly effective for pedagogy.
However, while this system is excellent for beginners, it can have negative long-term effects. Its theoretical framework is somewhat oversimplified; for instance, certain harmonies are treated as absolute. It assumes all music revolves around its specific system, whereas in reality, much music—such as that of Debussy—does not follow these rules. Therefore, although this book is the optimal solution for beginners—and arguably no other single system is as comprehensive or well-suited for starters—I have developed a combined approach to address these limitations.
First, I recommend starting with sound itself. To understand the relationship between chromatic frequencies, I suggest 'Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale' and 'Basic Cycle Acoustics' by Sethares. This first step helps us understand why sound is pleasing, rather than simply learning what has been prescribed as 'correct.' Next, we learn the actual musical language. I recommend 'Harmony and Voice Leading' by Aldwell and Schachter. Why is this better? Because it doesn't just list rules; it explains the 'why' behind them, aligning more closely with real-world musical practice. At this stage, we learn voice-leading logic and harmonic flow without being shackled to a rigid TSD (Tonic-Subdominant-Dominant) framework. Finally, we introduce non-traditional systems: jazz theory, pop harmony, or even advanced fields like spectral music. This broadens your understanding, showing that harmony is not defined by a single method. When you return to Sposobin afterward, you will realize it is more of a case study.
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