9896 / 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 →
81.106Apply it to “Mack the Knife”
Keep the main melody statement stylistically recognizable.
During a late solo/interlude:
walking bass or C-centered lower harmony remains.
RH briefly introduces:
D-major/Lydian upper world
or chromatic upper triads.
Then one polychordal climax.
Return immediately to clean swing harmony.
This creates a modern “outside” excursion without redesigning the whole song.