Explore chords · Guitar
C 11th chord on guitar (C11)
Also called or written C11 or C
C 11th is built from C, E, G, B♭, D, and F. This advanced barre chord requires an 8th-fret barre with the pinky stretching to the 10th fret.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11
- Root positionC–E–G–B♭–D–FC118-8-8-9-8-10
- First inversionE–G–B♭–D–F–CC11/E0-1-0-0-1-1
- Second inversionG–B♭–D–F–C–EC11/Gno shape on this instrument
- Third inversionB♭–D–F–C–E–GC11/B♭no shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionD–F–C–E–G–B♭C11/D10-8-8-9-8-8
- Fifth inversionF–C–E–G–B♭–DC11/F1-1-0-0-1-0
How do you play a C 11th chord on guitar?
C 11th is played at the 8th fret as 8 8 8 9 8 10: barre your index finger across fret 8, ring finger on the G string at fret 9 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 (1) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 (barre) | F (4) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 3 | E (3) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 4 | D (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret five strings cleanly while the pinky reaches the 10th fret on the high e string.
C11/E inversion · open position — the easy shape, no barre
C 11th is played in open position as 0 1 0 0 1 1: index finger on the A string at fret 1, middle finger on the B string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 1. The low E, D and G strings ring open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | open | — | E (3) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | D (2) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (5) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 2 | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 3 | F (4) |
C11/E inversion · fret 10
C 11th is played at the 10th fret as 12 10 10 10 11 10: barre your index finger across fret 10, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 12 and ring finger on the B string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 12 | 4 | E (3) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 1 (barre) | F (4) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 3 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 1 (barre) | D (2) |
C11/E inversion · fret 12
C 11th is played at the 12th fret as 12 13 12 12 13 13: barre your index finger across fret 12, middle finger on the A string at fret 13, ring finger on the B string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 12 | 1 (barre) | E (3) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 2 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 1 (barre) | D (2) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 3 | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 4 | F (4) |
C11/D inversion
C 11th is played at the 8th fret as 10 8 8 9 8 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 10 and ring finger on the G string at fret 9.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10 | 4 | D (2) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 (barre) | F (4) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 3 | E (3) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
Why it sounds like that
C 11th stacks a major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 2nd, and perfect 4th above C. The minor 7th gives it dominant pull, and the added 11th softens the C 9th sound.
What goes wrong with C 11th?
- The 2nd string buzzes because the index barre lifts slightly at the 8th fret.
- The pinky mutes the 1st string by flattening onto it instead of fretting it cleanly.
When to use it
C 11th works as a dominant in F major progressions like F–B♭–C–F, the I–IV–V–I. It suits blues, funk, and jazz-rock where the 11th adds grit over C major.
Changing to and from C 11th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 6th fret gives B♭ 11th.
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 10th fret gives D 11th.
Which voicing to use
The 8th fret position keeps C in the bass for a root-position sound. The C11/E inversion at the 1st fret puts the third in the bass, making the chord brighter and less stable.
Other C chords
Common questions
How is C 11th written?
C 11th is written as C11 or simply C. The root is C.
What is the difference between C 11th and C 9th?
C 11th adds the 11th note F to the C 9th chord. The 11th creates a softer, more suspended sound than the sharper dominant quality of C 9th.
Why does C 11th contain a tritone?
C 11th contains a tritone between the major 3rd E and the minor 7th B♭. This interval creates tension that resolves to the tonic chord in F major.