multiphonics means the sounding of two or more pitches simultaneously, either with the voice, or on an instrument that normally sounds only single notes. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “multiphonics” is a great word
MULTIPHONICS — [Noun] The technique of producing two or more distinct pitches simultaneously from a single wind instrument or the human voice. It is a nominalization of 'multiphonic', from the combining form 'multi-' (from Latin 'multus', meaning "many, much") and '-phonic' (from Greek 'phōnē', meaning "sound, voice"), first attested in 1983. Unlike "polyphony," which denotes the compositional interweaving of independent melodic lines, or "overtone singing," which specifically isolates harmonic partials, multiphonics is the raw, physical feat of forcing a singular resonant body to fracture into a chord of its own dissenting parts. It is the saxophone's guttural split-tone cry, the bassoon's spectral growl, and the singer’s throat yielding both a drone and a brittle, fluting whistle—a contained dissonance proving that even a singular column of air can harbor a secret argument.
Etymology
Nominalisation of multiphonic. See there for more.
noun
- The sounding of two or more pitches simultaneously, either with the voice, or on an instrument that normally sounds only single notes.