thumb|bitonal polychord: f major on top of c major.pen, ronald (1992). introduction to music, p.242. isbn 0-07-038068-6.  in music and music theory, a bichord or polychord consists of two or more chords, one on top of the other.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."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."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." in shorthand they are written with the top chord above a line and the bottom chord below,policastro, michael a. (1999). understanding how to build guitar chords and arpeggios, p.168. isbn 978-0-7866-4443-8. for example f above c: \frac{f}{c}. the use of polychords may suggest bitonality or polytonality. harmonic parallelism may suggest bichords. examples may be found in igor stravinsky's petrushka, p.&nbsp;15, and rite of spring, "dance of the adolescents" (1921) 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. (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, including chords such as em over fm. thumb|center|400px|polychords: em, ebm, ebm, and dm over dm.kostka & payne (1995). tonal harmony, p.494. third edition. isbn 0-07-035874-5.  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." extended chords contain more than one triad, and so can be regarded as a type of polychord: [[imag
Chords Post-tonal_music_theory