Tools / Chords / A♭ major 11th

A♭ major 11th chord on guitar (A♭maj11)

Also written A♭maj11 or A♭M11

A♭ major 11th contains A♭, C, E♭, G, B♭, D♭. The 4th-fret grip demands a full barre and a pinky stretch to fret 6.

4th fret4-4-5-5-4-6

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A♭1Root

C3Major 3rd

E♭5Perfect 5th

G7Major 7th

B♭99th

D♭11Eleventh

Formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA♭–C–E♭–G–B♭–D♭A♭maj11Bass A♭

First inversionC–E♭–G–B♭–D♭–A♭A♭maj11/CBass C

Second inversionE♭–G–B♭–D♭–A♭–CA♭maj11/E♭Bass E♭

Third inversionG–B♭–D♭–A♭–C–E♭A♭maj11/GBass G

Fourth inversionB♭–D♭–A♭–C–E♭–GA♭maj11/B♭Bass B♭

Fifth inversionD♭–A♭–C–E♭–G–B♭A♭maj11/D♭Bass D♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ major 11th is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 over A♭. The 11th, D♭, adds a suspended color above the major 7th. Compare it with A♭ major 9th, which stops at the 9th.

What goes wrong with A♭ major 11th?

Let the high e string buzz under the barre.
Allow the pinky to flatten onto the B string.
Mute the D string with the middle finger's underside.

When to use it

A♭ major 11th works as the tonic in A♭ major, especially in the I–IV–V–I progression A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭. It suits jazz, neo-soul, and slow ballads where the added 11th softens the major 7th. Try it in place of A♭ major for a lush ending.

Changing to and from A♭ major 11th

Sliding the shape down one fret to the 3rd fret gives G major 11th.
From A♭ major, lift the pinky and move the middle and ring fingers down one string each.

Which voicing to use

The 4th-fret voicing keeps A♭ in the bass for a grounded root position. The C inversions put the third in the bass, making the chord sound brighter and less stable.

How do you play an A♭ major 11th chord on guitar?

4th fret

Barre● On the diagram

A♭ major 11th is played at the 4th fret as 4 4 5 5 4 6: barre your index finger across fret 4, middle finger on the D string at fret 5, ring finger on the G string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6.

Tip — The index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	4	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
5 (A)	4	1 (barre)	D♭ (11)
4 (D)	5	2	G (7)
3 (G)	5	3	C (3)
2 (B)	4	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
1 (e)	6	4	B♭ (9)

A♭maj11/C inversion · fret 6

Barre

A♭ major 11th is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 6 8 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the low E string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	8	3	C (3)
5 (A)	6	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
4 (D)	6	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
3 (G)	6	1 (barre)	D♭ (11)
2 (B)	8	4	G (7)
1 (e)	6	1 (barre)	B♭ (9)

A♭maj11/C inversion · fret 8

Barre

A♭ major 11th is played at the 8th fret as 8 10 8 8 9 9: barre your index finger across fret 8, pinky finger on the A string at fret 10, middle finger on the B string at fret 9 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 9.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	8	1 (barre)	C (3)
5 (A)	10	4	G (7)
4 (D)	8	1 (barre)	B♭ (9)
3 (G)	8	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
2 (B)	9	2	A♭ (1)
1 (e)	9	3	D♭ (11)

A♭maj11/B♭ inversion · fret 4

Barre

A♭ major 11th is played at the 4th fret as 6 4 5 5 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 6, middle finger on the D string at fret 5 and ring finger on the G string at fret 5.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	6	4	B♭ (9)
5 (A)	4	1 (barre)	D♭ (11)
4 (D)	5	2	G (7)
3 (G)	5	3	C (3)
2 (B)	4	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
1 (e)	4	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)

A♭maj11/B♭ inversion · fret 6

Barre

A♭ major 11th is played at the 6th fret as 6 6 6 6 8 8: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the B string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	6	1 (barre)	B♭ (9)
5 (A)	6	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
4 (D)	6	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
3 (G)	6	1 (barre)	D♭ (11)
2 (B)	8	3	G (7)
1 (e)	8	4	C (3)

Common questions

How is A♭ major 11th written?

A♭ major 11th is written as A♭M11 or A♭maj11. The ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between A♭ major 11th and A♭ major 9th?

A♭ major 11th adds the 11th, D♭, to the five notes of A♭ major 9th. The 11th creates a suspended sound against the major third.

Why does the 4th-fret shape use a barre?

The barre at fret 4 covers the root A♭ on string 5, the fifth E♭ on string 6, and the ninth B♭ on string 2. It frees the other fingers for the 11th and major 7th.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

D♭ (11)

4 (D)

G (7)

3 (G)

C (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

1 (e)

B♭ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

C (3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

D♭ (11)

2 (B)

G (7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

C (3)

5 (A)

G (7)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

B♭ (9)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

2 (B)

A♭ (1)

1 (e)

D♭ (11)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

B♭ (9)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

D♭ (11)

4 (D)

G (7)

3 (G)

C (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

B♭ (9)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

D♭ (11)

2 (B)

G (7)

1 (e)

C (3)