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B♭ major 11th chord on guitar (B♭maj11)
Also called or 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.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
- Root positionB♭–D–F–A–C–E♭B♭maj116-6-7-7-6-8
- First inversionD–F–A–C–E♭–B♭B♭maj11/D10-8-8-8-10-8
- Second inversionF–A–C–E♭–B♭–DB♭maj11/Fno shape on this instrument
- Third inversionA–C–E♭–B♭–D–FB♭maj11/Ano shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionC–E♭–B♭–D–F–AB♭maj11/C8-6-7-7-6-6
- Fifth inversionE♭–B♭–D–F–A–CB♭maj11/E♭11-12-10-10-11-10
How do you play a B♭ major 11th chord on guitar?
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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 2 | A (7) |
| 3 (G) | 7 | 3 | D (3) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 4 | C (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 8.
B♭maj11/D inversion · fret 8
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.
Full note and interval 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♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 10 | 4 | A (7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (2) |
B♭maj11/D inversion · fret 10
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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10 | 1 (barre) | D (3) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 4 | A (7) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 (barre) | C (2) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 2 | B♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 3 | E♭ (4) |
B♭maj11/C inversion · fret 6
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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 4 | C (2) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (4) |
| 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
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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (2) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 10 | 3 | A (7) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 4 | D (3) |
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.
Other B♭ chords
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.