Tools / Chords / B♭ major 11th

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

Also written B♭maj11 or B♭M11

B♭ major 11th contains B♭, D, F, A, C, E♭. The 6th-fret barre shape is a one-fret shift up from A major 11th.

6th fret6-6-7-7-6-8

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

B♭1Root

D3Major 3rd

F5Perfect 5th

A7Major 7th

C99th

E♭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 positionB♭–D–F–A–C–E♭B♭maj11Bass B♭

First inversionD–F–A–C–E♭–B♭B♭maj11/DBass D

Second inversionF–A–C–E♭–B♭–DB♭maj11/FBass F

Third inversionA–C–E♭–B♭–D–FB♭maj11/ABass A

Fourth inversionC–E♭–B♭–D–F–AB♭maj11/CBass C

Fifth inversionE♭–B♭–D–F–A–CB♭maj11/E♭Bass E♭

Why it sounds like that

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

What goes wrong with B♭ 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

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

Changing to and from B♭ major 11th

Sliding the shape down one fret to the 5th fret gives A major 11th.
From B♭ major, lift the pinky and move the middle and ring fingers down one string each.

Which voicing to use

The 6th-fret voicing keeps B♭ in the bass for a grounded root position. The D inversions put the third in the bass, making the chord sound brighter and less stable.

How do you play a B♭ major 11th chord on guitar?

6th fret

Barre● On the diagram

B♭ major 11th is played at the 6th fret as 6 6 7 7 6 8: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the D string at fret 7, ring finger on the G string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 8.

Tip — The index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭maj11/D inversion · fret 8

Barre

B♭ major 11th is played at the 8th fret as 10 8 8 8 10 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, ring finger on the low E string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 10.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭maj11/D inversion · fret 10

Barre

B♭ major 11th is played at the 10th fret as 10 12 10 10 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 10, pinky finger on the A string at fret 12, middle finger on the B string at fret 11 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 11.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	10	1 (barre)	D (3)
5 (A)	12	4	A (7)
4 (D)	10	1 (barre)	C (9)
3 (G)	10	1 (barre)	F (5)
2 (B)	11	2	B♭ (1)
1 (e)	11	3	E♭ (11)

B♭maj11/C inversion · fret 6

Barre

B♭ major 11th is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 7 7 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 8, middle finger on the D string at fret 7 and ring finger on the G string at fret 7.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭maj11/C inversion · fret 8

Barre

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

String-by-string breakdown

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

Common questions

How is B♭ major 11th written?

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

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

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

Why does the 6th-fret shape use a barre?

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

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (11)

4 (D)

A (7)

3 (G)

D (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (5)

1 (e)

C (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

D (3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

F (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

E♭ (11)

2 (B)

A (7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

C (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

D (3)

5 (A)

A (7)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

C (9)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

F (5)

2 (B)

B♭ (1)

1 (e)

E♭ (11)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

C (9)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (11)

4 (D)

A (7)

3 (G)

D (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

C (9)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

F (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

E♭ (11)

2 (B)

A (7)

1 (e)

D (3)