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E♭ minor 11th chord on guitar (E♭m11)
Also called or written E♭m11 or E♭min11
E♭ minor 11th contains E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭, F, and A♭. The 11th-fret barre is a high-register stretch that tests left-hand endurance.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭–D♭–F–A♭E♭m1111-11-11-11-11-13
- First inversionG♭–B♭–D♭–F–A♭–E♭E♭m11/G♭2-1-1-1-2-1
- Second inversionB♭–D♭–F–A♭–E♭–G♭E♭m11/B♭no shape on this instrument
- Third inversionD♭–F–A♭–E♭–G♭–B♭E♭m11/D♭no shape on this instrument
- Fourth inversionF–A♭–E♭–G♭–B♭–D♭E♭m11/F1-1-1-1-2-2
- Fifth inversionA♭–E♭–G♭–B♭–D♭–FE♭m11/A♭no shape on this instrument
How do you play an E♭ minor 11th chord on guitar?
E♭ minor 11th is played at the 11th fret as 11 11 11 11 11 13: barre your index finger across fret 11 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) | 11 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 4 | F (2) |
AdvancedThe index barre must hold five strings at fret 11 while the pinky reaches two frets higher on the high E.
E♭m11/G♭ inversion · fret 1
E♭ minor 11th is played at the 1st fret as 2 1 1 1 2 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the low E string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 2.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2 | 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) | 2 | 4 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭m11/G♭ inversion · fret 13
E♭ minor 11th is played at the 13th fret as 14 13 13 13 14 13: barre your index finger across fret 13, ring finger on the low E string at fret 14 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 14.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 14 | 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) | 14 | 4 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭m11/F inversion · fret 1
E♭ minor 11th is played at the 1st fret as 1 1 1 1 2 2: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the B string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 2.
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) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
E♭m11/F inversion · fret 11
E♭ minor 11th is played at the 11th fret as 13 11 11 11 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 11 and pinky finger on the low E string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 13 | 4 | F (2) |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ minor 11th is built from the minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 2nd, and perfect 4th above E♭. The 11th, A♭, adds a suspended color that distinguishes it from E♭ minor 9th.
What goes wrong with E♭ minor 11th?
- The pinky mutes the B string when it lands too flat.
- The barre buzzes on the D or G string because the finger is not rolled slightly onto its side.
- The elbow tucks in, collapsing the hand and weakening the barre.
Changing to and from E♭ minor 11th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 9th fret gives C♯ minor 11th.
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 10th fret gives D minor 11th.
Which voicing to use
The 11th-fret voicing keeps E♭ in the bass for a deep, rooted sound. The E♭m11/G♭ inversion at fret 1 places G♭ in the bass, creating a brighter, more open voicing.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ minor 11th written?
E♭ minor 11th is written E♭min11 or E♭m11. The root is spelled E♭, with ASCII as Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ minor 11th and E♭ minor 9th?
E♭ minor 11th adds the 11th, A♭, to the E♭ minor 9th. That note creates a perfect 4th above the root, giving a more suspended, airy quality.
Why does the 11th-fret shape use a full barre?
The full barre at fret 11 frets five strings at once, leaving only the high E for the pinky. This keeps the chord movable and consistent across the neck.