Also written Fm11 or Fmin11
F minor 11th contains F, A♭, C, E♭, G and B♭. The 1st-fret barre is a full-finger stretch with the pinky reaching two frets higher.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
F minor 11th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9, 11. The 11th, B♭, adds a suspended colour above the minor seventh. Compare with F minor 9th, which stops at the ninth.
F minor 11th appears as the vi in A♭ major progressions like A♭–E♭–Fm–D♭, the I–V–vi–IV. It fits jazz ballads and R&B where the 11th adds warmth.
The 1st-fret position keeps F in the bass for a solid root. The Fm11/A♭ inversion at the 3rd fret puts A♭ in the bass, creating a darker, more unstable sound.
F minor 11th is played at the 1st fret as 1 1 1 1 1 3: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3.
Tip — The index barre must fret five strings at the 1st fret while the pinky reaches the 3rd fret on the high E string.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (11) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (9) |
F minor 11th is played at the 13th fret as 13 13 13 13 13 15: barre your index finger across fret 13 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 15.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (11) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 1 (e) | 15 | 4 | G (9) |
F minor 11th is played at the 3rd fret as 4 3 3 3 4 3: barre your index finger across fret 3, ring finger on the low E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 4.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 3 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (11) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 4 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (9) |
F minor 11th is played at the 1st fret as 3 1 1 1 1 1: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the low E string at fret 3.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 4 | G (9) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (11) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
F minor 11th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 3 3 3 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 3, ring finger on the B string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (9) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (11) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 3 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 4 | A♭ (♭3) |
F minor 11th is written Fmin11 or Fm11. The root is F, and it has no common enharmonic spelling.
F minor 11th adds the 11th, B♭, to the notes of F minor 9th. The 11th creates a suspended quality that the 9th does not have.
The barre covers five strings at the 1st fret to sound the root, fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh. Only the high E string is fretted separately with the pinky.