Ab11 Ab dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- Ab C Eb Gb Bb Db
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Also written
- G#11 (G# B# D# F# A# C#)
- Other symbols
- Abdom11
Ab to C is a major third (4 semitones), C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones), Eb to Gb is a minor third (3 semitones), Gb to Bb is a major third (4 semitones), Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, Db, sits a minor ninth above the third C and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: Ab Eb Gb Bb Db is how Ab11 is usually played, the same notes as Ab9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears F#/G# instead (Ab Gb Bb Db), so the guitar shapes here keep Eb.
Ab11 on the piano
Root position from Ab4: Ab4, C5, Eb5, Gb5, Bb5, Db6. Middle C is C4.
Ab11 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Ab as its lowest note.
4 4 4 6 4 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Ab2 Db3 Gb3 Db4 Eb4 Bb4, third left out
x 11 11 11 11 11 (low E to high e)
Sounds Ab3 Db4 Gb4 Bb4 Eb5, third left out
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play dominant eleventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of Ab11
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Ab C Eb Gb Bb Db | Ab11 | |
| 1st inversion | C Eb Gb Bb Db Ab | Ab11/C | |
| 2nd inversion | Eb Gb Bb Db Ab C | Ebm13 (also read as Ab11/Eb) | |
| 3rd inversion | Gb Bb Db Ab C Eb | Ab11/Gb | |
| 4th inversion | Bb Db Ab C Eb Gb | Ab11/Bb | |
| 5th inversion | Db Ab C Eb Gb Bb | Ab11/Db |
Where Ab11 fits
Ab11 is V11 in Db major. The eleventh, Db, is the same note as the fourth of a sus chord and wants to fall to the third C; that is why the third is usually left out, and why Ab11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to Ab7 before the tonic.