Polychord

In music and music theory, a polychord consists of two or

more chords, one on top of the other.[2][3][4] In shorthand they
are written with the top chord above a line and the bottom
chord below,[5] for example F upon C: CF.

The use of polychords may suggest bitonality or polytonality.

Harmonic parallelism may suggest bichords. Bitonal polychord: F major on top of
C major.[1] Play
Examples may be found in Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka, p. 15,
and Rite of Spring, "Dance of the Adolescents" (1921) [6] (see
Petrushka chord).

Polychords: E minor, E♭ major, E♭ major, and D major over D

minor.[7] 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.[7]

Extended chords contain more than one triad, and so can be regarded as a type of polychord:

Separate chords within an extended chord.[8] Play

For example G7 ♯11 ♭9 (G–B–D–F–A ♭–C ♯) is formed from G major (G–B–D) and D ♭ major (D ♭–F–
A♭), or D♭ [5]
G . (C♯ ≡ D♭)
The Lydian augmented scale, "has a polychord sound built in,"[9] created by superimposing the
Caug and the E ( Play ) and/or F ♯dim ( Play ) triads that exist in the scale, this being, "a very
common practice for most bop and post-bop players [such as McCoy Tyner]."[10]

Examples of extended chords include the Elektra chord.

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
G7♯11♭9 vs D♭
G chord. Play
technique.

See also
Secundal
Tertian
Quartal
Upper structure
Chordioid Fred Steiner's 1957 Perry Mason theme,
D
"Park Avenue Beat", ends with a Cm
Sources polychord quoted by Frank Zappa in
"Jezebel Boy", Broadway the Hard Way
1. Pen, Ronald (1992). Introduction to Music, p. 242. (1988) and described by Walter Everett as
ISBN 0-07-038068-6. "juicy".[11] Play
2. 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."
3. 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."
4. 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."
5. Policastro, Michael A. (1999). Understanding How to
Build Guitar Chords and Arpeggios, p. 168. ISBN 978-
0-7866-4443-8.
6. 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.
7. Kostka & Payne (1995). Tonal Harmony, p. 494. Third
Edition. ISBN 0-07-035874-5.
8. Marquis, G. Welton (1964). Twentieth Century Music
Idioms. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,
Inc.
 9. Munro, Doug (2002). Jazz Guitar: Bebop and Beyond,
p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7579-8281-1.
10. Munro (2002), p. 38.
11. 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.

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