Tools / Chords / D major 11th

D major 11th chord on guitar (Dmaj11)

Also written Dmaj11 or DM11

D major 11th contains D, F♯, A, C♯, E, G. The 10th-fret grip demands a full barre and a pinky stretch to fret 12.

10th fret10-10-11-11-10-12

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

D1Root

F♯3Major 3rd

A5Perfect 5th

C♯7Major 7th

E99th

G11Eleventh

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 positionD–F♯–A–C♯–E–GDmaj11Bass D

First inversionF♯–A–C♯–E–G–DDmaj11/F♯Bass F♯

Second inversionA–C♯–E–G–D–F♯Dmaj11/ABass A

Third inversionC♯–E–G–D–F♯–ADmaj11/C♯Bass C♯

Fourth inversionE–G–D–F♯–A–C♯Dmaj11/EBass E

Fifth inversionG–D–F♯–A–C♯–EDmaj11/GBass G

Why it sounds like that

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

What goes wrong with D 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

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

Changing to and from D major 11th

Sliding the shape down two frets to the 8th fret gives C major 11th.
From D major, lift the pinky and move the middle and ring fingers down one string each.

Which voicing to use

The 10th-fret voicing keeps D in the bass for a grounded root position. The F♯ inversions put the third in the bass, making the chord sound brighter and less stable.

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

10th fret

Barre● On the diagram

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

Tip — The index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 12.

String-by-string breakdown

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

Dmaj11/F♯ inversion · open position

Beginner

D major 11th is played in open position as 2 0 0 0 2 0: index finger on the low E string at fret 2 and middle finger on the B string at fret 2. The A, D, G and high e strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	2	1	F♯ (3)
5 (A)	open	—	A (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (1)
3 (G)	open	—	G (11)
2 (B)	2	2	C♯ (7)
1 (e)	open	—	E (9)

Dmaj11/F♯ inversion · fret 2

Barre

D major 11th is played at the 2nd fret as 2 4 2 2 3 3: barre your index finger across fret 2, pinky finger on the A string at fret 4, middle finger on the B string at fret 3 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3.

String-by-string breakdown

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

Dmaj11/F♯ inversion · fret 12

Barre

D major 11th is played at the 12th fret as 14 12 12 12 14 12: barre your index finger across fret 12, ring finger on the low E string at fret 14 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 14.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	14	3	F♯ (3)
5 (A)	12	1 (barre)	A (5)
4 (D)	12	1 (barre)	D (1)
3 (G)	12	1 (barre)	G (11)
2 (B)	14	4	C♯ (7)
1 (e)	12	1 (barre)	E (9)

Dmaj11/E inversion

Beginner

D major 11th is played in open position as 0 0 0 0 2 2: index finger on the B string at fret 2 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E, A, D and G strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	open	—	E (9)
5 (A)	open	—	A (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (1)
3 (G)	open	—	G (11)
2 (B)	2	1	C♯ (7)
1 (e)	2	2	F♯ (3)

Common questions

How is D major 11th written?

D major 11th is written as DM11 or Dmaj11. The root is D, and it has no enharmonic alias.

What is the difference between D major 11th and D major 9th?

D major 11th adds the 11th, G, to the five notes of D major 9th. The 11th creates a suspended sound against the major third.

Why does the 10th-fret shape use a barre?

The barre at fret 10 covers the root D on string 5, the fifth A on string 6, and the ninth E on string 2. It frees the other fingers for the 11th and major 7th.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

D (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

G (11)

4 (D)

C♯ (7)

3 (G)

F♯ (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

A (5)

1 (e)

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F♯ (3)

5 (A)

open

—

A (5)

4 (D)

open

—

D (1)

3 (G)

open

—

G (11)

2 (B)

C♯ (7)

1 (e)

open

—

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

F♯ (3)

5 (A)

C♯ (7)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

E (9)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

A (5)

2 (B)

D (1)

1 (e)

G (11)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F♯ (3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

A (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

D (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

G (11)

2 (B)

C♯ (7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

open

—

E (9)

5 (A)

open

—

A (5)

4 (D)

open

—

D (1)

3 (G)

open

—

G (11)

2 (B)

C♯ (7)

1 (e)

F♯ (3)