New Yorker, if I have understood your question well, that's got something to do with the way a string orchestra plays. What on an arranger we call chords, in an orchestra is composed by many different players, each playing a separate harmony. The overall result can be very complex. For example, while the violins play melodic line A, the cellos could play melodic line B (sometimes an octave lower, sometimes just a third down, sometimes completely different) and the overall result is what amazes the listener.
To make a simpler example, think of a vocal quartet like Manhattan Transfer (since you live in New York...); well, each one of them sings a different note, and all four together make a chord. That's the way it goes and that's the challenge of emulating acoustic instruments with an electronic keyboard.