Harmony, by Walter Piston, is the book my mentor recommended for me to read and work with to acquire the musical skills that I want.
There is an interesting quote in the beginning of the book:
"But if we reflect that theory must follow practice, rarely preceding it except by chance, we must realize that musical theory is not a set of directions for composing music. It is rather the collected and systematized deductions gathered by observing the practice of composers over a long time, and it attempts to set forth what is or has been their common practice. It tells not how music will be written in the future, but how music has been written in the past." - Walter Piston
It sounds good. I'll let you know how it goes.
