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To create complex chord structures, you can have up to four layers of chord structures that are used differently by different members of the band. Generally, the bass instruments play the first level of the chord, the lower middle instruments play the second level, and so on. However, you can assign any level to any instrument in a band.
You are not required to use all four levels, and for most composers who use this polychord feature, two levels are sufficient. For example, you might have a C major chord on the first level that is played by most parts in the band, and a D major on the second level that is played by higher instruments to create interest.
Each chord level must contain either three or four notes. You can use the level 1 as the primary structure for a chord and place added tones and upper extensions, such as 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths in levels 2, 3, and 4. Typically, the root and low notes of a chord are played by bass instruments. If you place these notes on level 1, you can assign level 1 to the bass parts in a style pattern. This leaves the upper extensions to higher instruments. Defining the upper notes as part of a separate level gives you greater control over which instruments play these notes.
You control which instruments in a band play each level by assigning different chord levels to an instrument part in the Part Properties window in Pattern Editor. For example, you could assign a bass part to chord level 1, a piano part to level 2, and a flute part to level 3. When these three parts encounter a chord, they each use the chord at their assigned levels. The following illustration represents a band of three instruments (flute, piano, and bass) playing over three different chords that have increasing complexity.
In this example, the first chord is a simple C major 7 chord. The second one is a C major 7 chord with added extensions, created by placing an Em7 and a Gma7 over a Cma7. Finally, a complex polychord combines a C major 7, D major 7, and E major 7.
The bass part plays its patterns using level 1 of each chord. In the example, level 1 contains C major 7 in all three chords. The piano plays its patterns using level 2 of each chord. In this case, it plays C major 7, E minor 7, and D major 7. The flute plays its patterns using level 3 of each chord. In this case, it plays C major 7, G major 7, and E major 7.
In the example, the second chord, essentially C major 9, #11, and 13, places the lower portion of the chord (root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th) in the bass, places the middle notes of the chord and the 9th in the piano, and places the 7th and the upper extensions of the chord (9th, 11th, and 13th) in the flute. This keeps the roles of the high and low instruments separate as they play the complex chord structure. This is even more evident in the third chord where the complex combination of three distinct major 7 chords (C, D, and E) are separated between the three individual instruments. This type of chord level assignment is an orchestration technique that adds clarity and transparency to an otherwise dense and complex cluster of pitches.