Also written E11 or E
E 11th is built from E, G♯, B, D, F♯, and A. This advanced open chord uses only two fretted notes but demands precise finger placement.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
E 11th stacks a major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 2nd, and perfect 4th above E. The minor 7th gives it dominant pull, and the added 11th softens the E 9th sound.
E 11th works as a dominant in A major progressions like A–D–E–A, the I–IV–V–I. It suits blues, funk, and jazz-rock where the 11th adds grit over E major.
The open position keeps E in the bass for a root-position sound. The E11/G♯ inversion at the 2nd fret puts the third in the bass, making the chord brighter and less stable.
E 11th is played in open position as 0 0 0 1 0 2: index finger on the G string at fret 1 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E, A, D and B strings ring open.
Tip — The index finger must fret the 3rd string without touching the adjacent open strings.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | open | — | E (1) |
| 5 (A) | open | — | A (11) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | D (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 | G♯ (3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | B (5) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 2 | F♯ (9) |
E 11th is played at the 12th fret as 12 12 12 13 12 14: barre your index finger across fret 12, ring finger on the G string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 14.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 12 | 1 (barre) | E (1) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 1 (barre) | A (11) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 1 (barre) | D (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 3 | G♯ (3) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 1 (barre) | B (5) |
| 1 (e) | 14 | 4 | F♯ (9) |
E 11th is played at the 2nd fret as 4 2 2 2 3 2: barre your index finger across fret 2, pinky finger on the low E string at fret 4 and ring finger on the B string at fret 3.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 4 | G♯ (3) |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 1 (barre) | B (5) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 1 (barre) | E (1) |
| 3 (G) | 2 | 1 (barre) | A (11) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 3 | D (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 1 (barre) | F♯ (9) |
E 11th is played at the 4th fret as 4 5 4 4 5 5: barre your index finger across fret 4, middle finger on the A string at fret 5, ring finger on the B string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 5.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♯ (3) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 2 | D (♭7) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 1 (barre) | F♯ (9) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 1 (barre) | B (5) |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 3 | E (1) |
| 1 (e) | 5 | 4 | A (11) |
E 11th is played in open position as 2 0 0 1 0 0: middle finger on the low E string at fret 2 and index finger on the G string at fret 1. The A, D, B and high e strings ring open.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2 | 2 | F♯ (9) |
| 5 (A) | open | — | A (11) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | D (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 | G♯ (3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | B (5) |
| 1 (e) | open | — | E (1) |
E 11th is written as E11 or simply E. The root is E.
E 11th adds the 11th note A to the E 9th chord. The 11th creates a softer, more suspended sound than the sharper dominant quality of E 9th.
E 11th contains a tritone between the major 3rd G♯ and the minor 7th D. This interval creates tension that resolves to the tonic chord in A major.