Editing Polychord

{{Redirects|Bichord|a one string instrument|Monochord|an instrument with two or more strings per note|Course (music)}}
[[Image:Polychord C major and F major.png|thumb|Bitonal polychord: F major on top of C major.<ref>Pen, Ronald (1992). ''Introduction to Music'', p. 242. {{ISBN|0-07-038068-6}}.</ref> {{Audio|Polychord C major and F major.mid|Play}}]]

In [[music]] and [[music theory]], a '''polychord''' consists of two or more [[chord (music)|chord]]s, one on top of the other.<ref>Haerle, Dan (1982). ''The Jazz Language: A Theory Text for Jazz Composition and Improvisation'', p. 30. {{ISBN|978-0-7604-0014-2}}. "The term polychord literally means many (poly) chords. In actual practice, a polychord is usually a combination of only two chords which creates a more complex sound."</ref><ref>Guy Capuzzo, Tom Dempsey (2006). ''Theory for the Contemporary Guitarist'', p. 76. {{ISBN|978-0-7390-3838-3}}. "A bichord (other-wise known as a polychord) consists of two triads played together."</ref><ref>Edward Shanaphy, Joseph Knowlton (1990). ''The Do It Yourself Handbook for Keyboard Playing'', p. 62. {{ISBN|978-0-943748-00-9}}. "A polychord is nothing more than the playing of two chords at the same time."</ref> In shorthand they are written with the top chord above a line and the bottom chord below,<ref name="Policastro, Michael A. 1999 p.168">Policastro, Michael A. (1999). ''Understanding How to Build Guitar Chords and Arpeggios'', p. 168. {{ISBN|978-0-7866-4443-8}}.</ref> for example F upon C: {{sfrac|F|C}}.

The use of polychords may suggest [[polytonality|bitonality]] or polytonality. [[parallel harmony|Harmonic parallelism]] may suggest bichords.

Examples may be found in [[Igor Stravinsky]]'s ''[[Petrushka (ballet)|Petrushka]]'', p.&nbsp;15, and ''[[The Rite of Spring|Rite of Spring]]'', "Dance of the Adolescents" (1921) <ref>Reisberg, Horace (1975). "The Vertical Dimension in Twentieth Century Music", ''Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music'', p. 336. Wittlich, Gary (ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. {{ISBN|0-13-049346-5}}.</ref> (see [[Petrushka chord]]).

[[Image:Polychords various over Dm.png|thumb|center|400px|Polychords: E minor, E{{music|b}} major, E{{music|b}} major, and D major over D minor.<ref name="K&P">Kostka & Payne (1995). ''Tonal Harmony'', p. 494. Third Edition. {{ISBN|0-07-035874-5}}.</ref> {{Audio|Polychords various over Dm.mid|Play}}]]

In the polychords in the image above, the first might suggest a [[thirteenth chord]], the second may suggest a D minor [[ninth chord]] with upper extensions, but the octave separation of the 3rd makes the suggestion of two independent triads a minor ninth apart even more likely, and the fourth is a [[split-third chord]].<ref name="K&P"/>

[[Extended chord]]s contain more than one [[Triad (music)|triad]], and so can be regarded as a type of polychord:

[[Image:Thirteenth-polychord.PNG|thumb|center|400px|Separate chords within an [[extended chord]].<ref>Marquis, G. Welton (1964). ''Twentieth Century Music Idioms''. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.</ref> {{audio|Thirteenth-polychord.mid|Play}}]]

[[Image:G7(sharp11b9) vs Db over G chord.png|thumb|G<sup>7{{music|#}}11{{music|b}}9</sup> vs {{sfrac|D{{music|b}}|G}} chord. {{audio|G7(sharp11b9) vs Db over G chord.mid|Play}}]]
For example G<sup>7{{music|#}}11{{music|b}}9</sup> (G–B–D–F–A{{music|b}}–C{{music|#}}) is formed from G major (G–B–D) and D{{music|b}} major (D{{music|b}}–F–A{{music|b}}), or {{sfrac|D{{music|b}}|G}}.<ref name="Policastro, Michael A. 1999 p.168"/> (C{{music|#}} ≡ D{{music|b}})

The [[Lydian augmented scale]], "has a polychord sound built in,"<ref>Munro, Doug (2002). ''Jazz Guitar: Bebop and Beyond'', p. 36. {{ISBN|978-0-7579-8281-1}}.</ref> created by superimposing the Caug and the E ({{audio|Augmented major seventh chord on C.mid|Play}}) and/or F{{music|#}}dim ({{audio|Lydian augmented polychord on C.mid|Play}}) triads that exist in the scale, this being, "a very common practice for most [[Bebop|bop]] and [[post-bop]] players [such as [[McCoy Tyner]]]."<ref>Munro (2002), p. 38.</ref>

Examples of extended chords include the [[Elektra chord]].

[[Image:Park Avenue Beat polychord.png|thumb|right|250px|[[Fred Steiner]]'s 1957 ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' [[theme music|theme]], "[[Park Avenue Beat]]", ends with a {{sfrac|D|Cm}} polychord quoted by [[Frank Zappa]] in "[[Jezebel Boy]]", ''[[Broadway the Hard Way]]'' (1988) and described by Walter Everett as "juicy".<ref>Walter Everett (Autumn, 2004). "A Royal Scam: The Abstruse and Ironic Bop-Rock Harmony of Steely Dan", pp. 208–09, ''Music Theory Spectrum'', Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 201–35.</ref> {{Audio|Park Avenue Beat polychord.mid|Play}}]]

When one or both of the chords in a polychord are not "chords" in some exclusive sense according to some preferred chord theory or other, polychords devolves into [[Chordioid|chordioid technique]].

==See also==
* [[Secundal]]
* [[Tertian]]
* [[Quartal and quintal harmony|Quartal]]
* [[Upper structure]]
* [[Chordioid]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Chords}}

[[Category:Chords]]
[[Category:Post-tonal music theory]]