Explore chords · Guitar
A♭ minor 11th chord on guitar (A♭m11)
Also called or written A♭m11 or A♭min11
A♭ minor 11th contains A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭, and D♭. The 4th-fret barre is the lowest of the three, but the pinky stretch to fret 6 remains demanding.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭–G♭–B♭–D♭A♭m114-4-4-4-4-6
- First inversionC♭–E♭–G♭–B♭–D♭–A♭A♭m11/C♭7-6-6-6-7-6
- Second inversionE♭–G♭–B♭–D♭–A♭–C♭A♭m11/E♭no shape on this instrument
- Third inversionG♭–B♭–D♭–A♭–C♭–E♭A♭m11/G♭no shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionB♭–D♭–A♭–C♭–E♭–G♭A♭m11/B♭6-4-4-4-4-4
- Fifth inversionD♭–A♭–C♭–E♭–G♭–B♭A♭m11/D♭no shape on this instrument
How do you play an A♭ minor 11th chord on guitar?
A♭ minor 11th is played at the 4th fret as 4 4 4 4 4 6: barre your index finger across fret 4 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) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must hold five strings at fret 4 while the pinky stretches to fret 6 on the high E.
A♭m11/C♭ inversion
A♭ minor 11th is played at the 6th fret as 7 6 6 6 7 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the low E string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 7.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7 | 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) | 7 | 4 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
A♭m11/B♭ inversion · fret 4
A♭ minor 11th is played at the 4th fret as 6 4 4 4 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4 and pinky finger on the low E string at fret 6.
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) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
A♭m11/B♭ inversion · fret 6
A♭ minor 11th is played at the 6th fret as 6 6 6 6 7 7: 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 7.
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) | 7 | 4 | C♭ (♭3) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ minor 11th is built from the minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 2nd, and perfect 4th above A♭. The 11th, D♭, adds a suspended color that distinguishes it from A♭ minor 9th.
What goes wrong with A♭ minor 11th?
- The pinky mutes the B string when it lands too flat.
- The barre lifts off the D or G string, causing a dead note.
- The thumb sits too high on the neck, reducing barre pressure.
Changing to and from A♭ minor 11th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives F♯ minor 11th.
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 5th fret gives A minor 11th.
Which voicing to use
The 4th-fret voicing keeps A♭ in the bass for a grounded, full sound. The A♭m11/B inversion at fret 6 puts C♭ in the bass, lightening the chord for upper-register comping.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ minor 11th written?
A♭ minor 11th is written A♭min11 or A♭m11. The root is spelled A♭, with ASCII as Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ minor 11th and A♭ minor 9th?
A♭ minor 11th adds the 11th, D♭, to the A♭ minor 9th. That note creates a perfect 4th above the root, giving a more suspended, open sound.
Why does the 4th-fret shape use a full barre?
The full barre at fret 4 frets five strings at once, leaving only the high E for the pinky. This keeps the chord compact and movable.