9795 / 18210 · Workshop 81 — Polychords and Bitonal Hearing: Two Harmonic Worlds at Once, Upper Structure vs. True Polychord, Controlled Clashes, and Making “Wrong” Chords Sound Intentional← prev⊞ allnext →
81.5First principle
Polychordal perception depends not only on pitch content, but on register, rhythm, articulation, and independence of the layers.
The same six notes can be heard as:
one extended chord
or:
two simultaneous chords.