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A♭ major 11th chord on guitar (A♭maj11)
Also called or 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.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
- Root positionA♭–C–E♭–G–B♭–D♭A♭maj114-4-5-5-4-6
- First inversionC–E♭–G–B♭–D♭–A♭A♭maj11/C8-6-6-6-8-6
- Second inversionE♭–G–B♭–D♭–A♭–CA♭maj11/E♭no shape on this instrument
- Third inversionG–B♭–D♭–A♭–C–E♭A♭maj11/Gno shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionB♭–D♭–A♭–C–E♭–GA♭maj11/B♭6-4-5-5-4-4
- Fifth inversionD♭–A♭–C–E♭–G–B♭A♭maj11/D♭9-10-8-8-9-8
How do you play an A♭ major 11th chord on guitar?
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.
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) | 5 | 2 | 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 the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 6.
A♭maj11/C inversion · fret 6
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.
Full note and interval 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♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 4 | G (7) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
A♭maj11/C inversion · fret 8
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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 4 | G (7) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (4) |
A♭maj11/B♭ inversion · fret 4
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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (2) |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 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
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.
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) | 8 | 3 | G (7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 4 | C (3) |
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.
Other A♭ chords
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.