9856 / 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 →
81.66Level 32 — dominant polychord
Take G7 core:
G bass
B-F.
Now add upper triad:
A♭ minor:
A♭-B-E♭.
We already recognize altered dominant.
But if A♭ minor is high and rhythmically distinct:
the ear may hear:
G-dominant layer
plus A♭-minor layer.
This is an altered polychord.