Theory On Tap
Lesson 11: Polychords
by Vance Gloster (with some great editing by Rick Bellinger)
What Is A Polychord
In its simplest form a polychord is a chord played over a note (or
notes) that are not the root of the chord. Polychords are often used
to voice some of the more complex jazz chords. On The Stick it is not
as easy to play a complex chord with a tight voicing as it is on the
piano, so polychords are a primary way of playing such chords. Often
polychord voicings sound lean and modern (especially when only a bass
note and a chord are played) compared to full voicings of chords.
A First Easy Example
In order to understand polychords more concretely let's play one!
With the bass side of The Stick play a C note. The C is on the 7th
string, 5th fret in standard tuning. Simultaneously play an E minor
chord on the melody side. Here is how to play an E minor chord in
standard and half-baritone tuning.
Standard Tuning Half-Baritone Tuning
|---|---|---|--- |-O-|---|---|---
|-O-|---|---|--- |-O-|---|---|---
|-O-|---|---|--- |---|-O-|---|---
|---|-O-|---|--- |---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|---
^ ^
|_____ 7th fret _____|
In this diagram the "|" represents a fret, the "-" represents a
string, and the "O" represents a finger. If it looks like garbage,
try to view it in a fixed-width font like Courier.
This chord is actually Cmaj7. It turns out that the notes of an Em
chord together with a C are the same as those in a Cmaj7. For this
chord, putting the bass note together with the chord still has all of
the notes of the full chord. For some of the more complex chords some
notes get left out.
A Notation for Polychords
In sheet music polychord voicings are often written something like
"Fmaj7/Bb", or "Fmaj/Bb bass", to mean an F major 7th chord with a Bb
(4th) in the bass. In the last Theory On Tap
lesson (#10) Jeff discussed this notation. But for this theory
discussion it is most useful to use a different notation. The ear
hears the tonal center of a chord (or even a polychord) in the bass,
so it makes sense to root our view of a polychord in the same place.
We also need a notation that shows the relationships without regard
to key. In this article I will describe polychords using the following
notation:
Maj 3 min
Some Of The Most Useful Polychords
Here are some of the chords you see in sheet music and hear in songs a
lot, along with their polychord equivalents. I personally do not
normally play chords with the left hand when doing polychord stuff
(just the bass notes). Of course in the more complex chords some
notes are left out by doing this, and you should be careful that the
important notes are included. I like the spare sound of the chord
without all of the notes, but some styles of music (like old-style
traditional jazz) come out better with full chords.
| Chord | Polychord | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Maj7 | Maj 3 min | CMaj7 Em/C |
| min7 | min b3 Maj | Am7 C/A |
| dom7 | Maj 3 dim | G7 Bdim/G |
| dom9 | Maj 5 min | F7 Cm/F |
| Maj9 | Maj 5 Maj | DMaj9 A/D |
| min9 | min 5 min | Em9 Bm/E |
| Maj6 | Maj 6 min | C6 Am/C |
| dom11 | Maj b7 Maj | G11 F/G |
| dom13 | Maj 6 sus b2 | G13 Esus b2/G |
| dom7+9 | Maj b3 sus b2 | E7+9 Gsus b2/E |
To get folks started, here are chord shapes for the right hand that
you can use. The diagram is as before except the "R" indicates the
root of the chord (this note should be fingered as well).
Minor Major Diminished Sus b2
|---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|---
|-R-|---|---|--- |-R-|---|---|--- |---|-R-|---|--- |---|-R-|---|---
|-O-|---|---|--- |-O-|---|---|--- |-O-|---|---|--- |---|-O-|---|---
|---|-O-|---|--- |---|---|-O-|--- |---|---|-O-|--- |-O-|---|---|---
|---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|---
Of course with the normal Stick tunings (except the Crafty one) you
can shift these shapes over a string in either direction as well as up
and down the neck.
Beyond Traditional Chords
While polychords are a good vehicle for implementing traditional
chords on The Stick, this is not their only use. As composers, both
legitimate and popular, strive to create new sounds some have begun
using a polychord approach. This involves discovering new sounds that
do not map to traditional chord descriptions. Here are some examples:
| Polychord | Example | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Maj 4 Maj | F/C | This gets used in a lot of mainstream ballads |
| Maj 2 Maj | D/C | This is the final chord of Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4 and it is pretty dissonant |
| Maj 3 Maj | Bb/F# | Dissonant and used in orchestral and film music |
Here is a short polychord fanfare that ends with this last chord.
Here it is in standard notation:
Am Bm/G C/F D/E Bb/F#
These chords are as follows:
normal minor
Maj 3 min
Maj 5 Maj
min b7 Maj
Maj 3 Maj
In my own compositions I have been doing a lot of work using
polychords that use a Sus 2 chord on top (not a Sus b2 as talked about
above). I was using this long before I came to The Stick, but it is a
particularly easy chord to play on a Stick. It looks like this:
Sus 2
|---|---|---|---
|-R-|---|---|---
|-O-|---|---|---
|-O-|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---
Like all the chords shown, this shape can be played either on the
melody strings or the bass strings. The simplicity of this shape
makes it a good one to use while playing bass with the same hand.
I would encourage all of you to explore your own realms with
polychords. Stuff written by Joe Zawinul of the Weather Report (like
Birdland) contain lots of good examples of how you can use polychords
in composition. Good luck!