Self Taught Harmony & Counterpoint

[ballade345]

i play piano for 13 years but i never attempt learn harmony & counterpoint deeply. i know only fundamental things about them like 1st species or chord inversions. So i decided to buy a book about this subjects and i bought Harmony and Voice Leading 4th edition by Edward Aldwell for harmony and fux gradus ad parnassum for counterpoint i also bought walter piston's harmony fifth edition book for months i'm reading and applying what i read also making exercises given with them but they are so frustrating to read authors explain even easiest thing like connection of chords in root position like rocket science i don't understand anything and those books confuse me so much that i start to hate harmony & counterpoint but i want to learn them by myself so what can i do which is the easiest way to learn composing music like in 1600-1900's? i don't want to pay so much money to a harmony teacher and not every teacher can explain easily