Lesson
Polychords
A polychord is a chord made up of two or more separate chords played at the same time. Polychords are a useful tool for creating complex harmonies. To create...
C Dominant 7th
- Spatial
- Major triad with m7
- Degrees
- 1 3 5 b7
- Symbols
- C7, Cdom7
- Active Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
C Dominant 7th selected
A polychord is a chord made up of two or more separate chords played at the same time. Polychords are a useful tool for creating complex harmonies.
To create a polychord, two separate chords are played simultaneously. For example, playing an Eb major chord over a C Major chord creates a polychord known as an Eb major over C Major chord. Polychords are commonly written as two chords separately with a horizontal line between them.
Polychords can be used as a simpler way to conceptualize chords. By playing the notes of the C Major Chord and the Eb Major Chord, you’re actually playing a C7#9.
Instead of thinking, “I need to play a C7#9” you can think, “I need to play an Eb chord over a C chord”, which for some people is an easier and quicker way to mentally process the chord.