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B♭ minor 11th chord on guitar (B♭m11)
Also called or written B♭m11 or B♭min11
B♭ minor 11th contains B♭, D♭, F, A♭, C, and E♭. The 6th-fret barre demands a full five-string press before the pinky reaches fret 8.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11
- Root positionB♭–D♭–F–A♭–C–E♭B♭m116-6-6-6-6-8
- First inversionD♭–F–A♭–C–E♭–B♭B♭m11/D♭9-8-8-8-9-8
- Second inversionF–A♭–C–E♭–B♭–D♭B♭m11/Fno shape on this instrument
- Third inversionA♭–C–E♭–B♭–D♭–FB♭m11/A♭no shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionC–E♭–B♭–D♭–F–A♭B♭m11/C8-6-6-6-6-6
- Fifth inversionE♭–B♭–D♭–F–A♭–CB♭m11/E♭no shape on this instrument
How do you play a B♭ minor 11th chord on guitar?
B♭ minor 11th is played at the 6th fret as 6 6 6 6 6 8: barre your index finger across fret 6 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) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 4 | C (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must hold five strings cleanly at fret 6 while the pinky stretches to fret 8 on the high E.
B♭m11/D♭ inversion
B♭ minor 11th is played at the 8th fret as 9 8 8 8 9 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, ring finger on the low E string at fret 9 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 9.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9 | 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) | 9 | 4 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (2) |
B♭m11/C inversion · fret 6
B♭ minor 11th is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 6 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6 and pinky finger on the low E string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 4 | C (2) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
B♭m11/C inversion · fret 8
B♭ minor 11th is played at the 8th fret as 8 8 8 8 9 9: barre your index finger across fret 8, ring finger on the B string at fret 9 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 9.
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) | 9 | 3 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 4 | D♭ (♭3) |
Why it sounds like that
B♭ minor 11th stacks the minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 2nd, and perfect 4th over B♭. The added 11th, E♭, gives the chord its suspended, open quality. Compare B♭ minor 9th, which stops at the 9th and sounds less dense.
What goes wrong with B♭ minor 11th?
- The pinky lands flat and mutes the B string next to it.
- The barre lifts off the D or G string, causing a dead note.
- The wrist drops too low, making the barre uneven across the fretboard.
Changing to and from B♭ minor 11th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 4th fret gives A♭ minor 11th.
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 7th fret gives B minor 11th.
Which voicing to use
The 6th-fret voicing keeps B♭ in the bass for a rooted, full sound. The B♭m11/D♭ inversion at fret 8 puts D♭ in the bass, lightening the chord for upper-register comping.
Other B♭ chords
Common questions
How is B♭ minor 11th written?
B♭ minor 11th is written B♭min11 or B♭m11. The root is spelled B♭, with ASCII as Bb. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between B♭ minor 11th and B♭ minor 9th?
B♭ minor 11th adds the 11th, E♭, to the B♭ minor 9th. That extra note creates a perfect 4th above the root, giving a more suspended, open sound.
Why does the 6th-fret shape use a full barre?
The full barre at fret 6 frets five strings at once, leaving only the high E for the pinky. This keeps the chord compact and movable.