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A♭ 11th chord on guitar (A♭11)
Also called or written A♭11 or A♭
A♭ 11th is built from A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭, and D♭. This advanced barre chord requires a 4th-fret barre with the pinky stretching to the 6th fret.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11
- Root positionA♭–C–E♭–G♭–B♭–D♭A♭114-4-4-5-4-6
- First inversionC–E♭–G♭–B♭–D♭–A♭A♭11/C8-6-6-6-7-6
- Second inversionE♭–G♭–B♭–D♭–A♭–CA♭11/E♭no shape on this instrument
- Third inversionG♭–B♭–D♭–A♭–C–E♭A♭11/G♭no shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionB♭–D♭–A♭–C–E♭–G♭A♭11/B♭6-4-4-5-4-4
- Fifth inversionD♭–A♭–C–E♭–G♭–B♭A♭11/D♭9-9-8-8-9-8
How do you play an A♭ 11th chord on guitar?
A♭ 11th is played at the 4th fret as 4 4 4 5 4 6: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the G string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 3 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret five strings cleanly while the pinky reaches the 6th fret on the high e string.
A♭11/C inversion · fret 6
A♭ 11th is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 6 7 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 8 and ring finger on the B string at fret 7.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 4 | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
A♭11/C inversion · fret 8
A♭ 11th is played at the 8th fret as 8 9 8 8 9 9: barre your index finger across fret 8, middle finger on the A string at fret 9, ring finger on the B string at fret 9 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 9.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | 9 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 4 | D♭ (4) |
A♭11/B♭ inversion · fret 4
A♭ 11th is played at the 4th fret as 6 4 4 5 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 6 and ring finger on the G string at fret 5.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (2) |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 3 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
A♭11/B♭ inversion · fret 6
A♭ 11th is played at the 6th fret as 6 6 6 6 7 8: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the B string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 4 | C (3) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ 11th stacks a major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 2nd, and perfect 4th above A♭. The minor 7th gives it dominant pull, and the added 11th softens the A♭ 9th sound.
What goes wrong with A♭ 11th?
- The 2nd string buzzes because the index barre lifts slightly at the 4th fret.
- The pinky mutes the 1st string by flattening onto it instead of fretting it cleanly.
When to use it
It suits blues, funk, and jazz-rock where the 11th adds grit over A♭ major.
Changing to and from A♭ 11th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives F♯ 11th.
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 6th fret gives B♭ 11th.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret position keeps A♭ in the bass for a root-position sound. The A♭11/C inversion at the 6th fret puts the third in the bass, making the chord brighter and less stable.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ 11th written?
A♭ 11th is written as A♭11 or A♭. The ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ 11th and A♭ 9th?
A♭ 11th adds the 11th note D♭ to the A♭ 9th chord. The 11th creates a softer, more suspended sound than the sharper dominant quality of A♭ 9th.
Why does A♭ 11th contain a tritone?
A♭ 11th contains a tritone between the major 3rd C and the minor 7th G♭. This interval creates tension that resolves to the tonic chord in C♯ major.