Midpoint

2013-12-11T21:54:10Z

205.213.125.7: /* Construction */

[[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 '''bichord''' or '''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 above C: <math>\frac{F}{C}</math>.

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]]'', p. 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]]). They may also be found in the song "Point of No Return" from [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'', including chords such as E{{music|flat}}m over Fm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/14869318/Past-the-Point-of-No-Return|title=Past the Point of No Return|publisher=Scribd|accessdate=Jul 6, 2009}}</ref>

[[Image:Polychords various over Dm.png|thumb|center|400px|Polychords: Em, EbM, EbM, and DM over Dm.<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 1st, "might well suggest," a [[thirteenth chord]], the 2nd may suggest a, "d minor [[ninth chord]] with upper extensions," but the octave separation of the 3rd makes the suggestion of, "two independent triads with their a m9 apart," even more likely, and the 4th 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</sup>({{music|#}}11{{music|b}}9) vs <math>\frac{Db}{G}</math> chord. {{audio|G7(sharp11b9) vs Db over G chord.mid|Play}}]]
For example G<sup>7</sup>({{music|#}}11{{music|b}}9) (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 <math>\frac{Db}{G}</math>.<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 Emaj ({{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]]'' [[theme music|theme]], "[[Park Avenue Beat]]", ends with a DM/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", p.208-209, ''Music Theory Spectrum'', Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 201-235.</ref> {{Audio|Park Avenue Beat polychord.mid|Play}}]]

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

==Sources==
{{reflist}}

{{Chords}}

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

formulasearchengine - User contributions [en]

Midpoint