The Berklee Book of Jazz Harmony | Music Theory and Chord Progression Guide for All Instruments with Online Audio Access | Learn Jazz Composition and Improvisation |Workbook for Students and Teachers

by Joe Mulholland, Tom Hojnacki

Perfect for jazz students, teachers, and instrumentalists of all levels. The Berklee Book of Jazz Harmony by Joe Mulholland and Tom Hojnacki provides a comprehensive foundation in jazz harmony as taught at Berklee College of Music. Designed for all instruments, it explains how chords, tensions, and harmonic motion create the signature sound of jazz. This guide is ideal for classroom instruction, self-study, or private lessons focused on composition, arranging, and improvisation.

Whats The book covers essential chord types, extensions, and harmonic progressions with clear explanations and practical examples. Each lesson includes written exercises and listening suggestions to help musicians internalize the material. Digital audio access lets players hear every concept, using the PLAYBACK+ tool to loop, slow down, or change key for deeper understanding. Suitable for piano, guitar, saxophone, and other instruments, this book provides a complete toolkit for mastering jazz harmony.

Why Its Developed by Berklee College faculty, this guide helps musicians strengthen theoretical knowledge and performance skills. It improves harmonic awareness, chord voicing accuracy, and improvisational fluency while encouraging creative exploration. Teachers can use it as a curriculum resource, and students will appreciate its structured yet flexible approach to learning complex jazz ideas.

Bring music to life. Whether used in class, private study, or professional development, this trusted educational book connects theory with sound practice. It makes an excellent gift for musicians, educators, and anyone passionate about the language of jazz harmony.

Genres: Music, Jazz

264 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Yen-Yi Juo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading this book over a course of 1 month during a mini-sabbatical from work. I'd read a chapter, play some of it, go back to read it again and write down some notes. Having never received formal harmony courses, this is immensely helpful for me to learn the basic principles behind jazz harmony. This book does require some basic familiarity with the chord annotations, but one gets used to it fairly soon. It takes a very thorough and understandable approach to explaining each concept. At the end of the book, I felt I had a better grasp of the "boundaries" of jazz harmony. Previously when I started my journey in jazz, the endless possibilities of chord substitutions and fanciful modulations were quite intimidating, but after reading this book, I felt I can make sense of ~80% chord progressions I come across when learning standards. I will probably go purchase a copy of my own and read it a few more times. Highly recommended for students of jazz.