Lesson 5: Polychords

Polychords are chords constructed from two or more separate chords. Composers

and improvisers use polychords as a resource for rich and complex sounds in their
music. Polychords frequently occur in jazz and modern classical music. Oftentimes,
they can be seen in forms of a chord with a slash symbol and then with another
chord name; ( C/A ). To play polychords in a piano is to play the first chord in the
left with your right hand and the other chord as bass on your left hand. The sound
produced when you play a polychord gives a richer or fuller sound than the normal
chords. The table below shows some of the variations that you may use in studying
polychords.

COMBINATION NUMERICS EXAMPLE ( C ) CHORD PRODUCED

Tonic / Mediant I / iii C/E Em6
Tonic / Sub Mediant I / vi C/A Am7
Sub Dominant / Super Tonic IV / ii F/D Dm7
Sub Dominant / Dominant IV / V F/G G7
Dominant / Mediant V / iii G/E Em7
Tonic / Dominant I/V C/G Gsus4