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E♭ major 11th chord on guitar (E♭maj11)
Also called or written E♭maj11 or E♭M11
E♭ major 11th contains E♭, G, B♭, D, F, A♭. The 11th-fret grip demands a full barre and a pinky stretch to fret 13.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
- Root positionE♭–G–B♭–D–F–A♭E♭maj1111-11-12-12-11-13
- First inversionG–B♭–D–F–A♭–E♭E♭maj11/G3-1-1-1-3-1
- Second inversionB♭–D–F–A♭–E♭–GE♭maj11/B♭no shape on this instrument
- Third inversionD–F–A♭–E♭–G–B♭E♭maj11/Dno shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionF–A♭–E♭–G–B♭–DE♭maj11/F1-1-1-1-3-3
- Fifth inversionA♭–E♭–G–B♭–D–FE♭maj11/A♭4-5-3-3-4-3
How do you play an E♭ major 11th chord on guitar?
E♭ major 11th is played at the 11th fret as 11 11 12 12 11 13: barre your index finger across fret 11, middle finger on the D string at fret 12, ring finger on the G string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 2 | D (7) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 3 | G (3) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 4 | F (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 13.
E♭maj11/G inversion · fret 1
E♭ major 11th is played at the 1st fret as 3 1 1 1 3 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the low E string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 3 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭maj11/G inversion · fret 3
E♭ major 11th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 5 3 3 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 3, pinky finger on the A string at fret 5, middle finger on the B string at fret 4 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 4.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 4 | D (7) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 3 | A♭ (4) |
E♭maj11/G inversion · fret 13
E♭ major 11th is played at the 13th fret as 15 13 13 13 15 13: barre your index finger across fret 13, ring finger on the low E string at fret 15 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 15.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 15 | 3 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 15 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭maj11/F inversion
E♭ major 11th is played at the 1st fret as 1 1 1 1 3 3: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the B string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 3 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (3) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ major 11th is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 over E♭. The 11th, A♭, adds a suspended color above the major 7th. Compare it with E♭ major 9th, which stops at the 9th.
What goes wrong with E♭ 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
E♭ major 11th works as the tonic in E♭ major, especially in the I–IV–V–I progression E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭. It suits jazz, neo-soul, and slow ballads where the added 11th softens the major 7th. Try it in place of E♭ major for a lush ending.
Changing to and from E♭ major 11th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 9th fret gives C♯ major 11th.
- From E♭ major, lift the pinky and move the middle and ring fingers down one string each.
Which voicing to use
The 11th-fret voicing keeps E♭ in the bass for a grounded root position. The G inversions put the third in the bass, making the chord sound brighter and less stable.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ major 11th written?
E♭ major 11th is written as E♭M11 or E♭maj11. The ASCII root is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ major 11th and E♭ major 9th?
E♭ major 11th adds the 11th, A♭, to the five notes of E♭ major 9th. The 11th creates a suspended sound against the major third.
Why does the 11th-fret shape use a barre?
The barre at fret 11 covers the root E♭ on string 5, the fifth B♭ on string 6, and the ninth F on string 2. It frees the other fingers for the 11th and major 7th.