B11 B dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- B D# F# A C# E
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Other symbols
- Bdom11
B to D# is a major third (4 semitones), D# to F# is a minor third (3 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C# is a major third (4 semitones), C# to E is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, E, sits a minor ninth above the third D# and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: B F# A C# E is how B11 is usually played, the same notes as B9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears A/B instead (B A C# E), so the guitar shapes here keep F#.
B11 on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, D#5, F#5, A5, C#6, E6. Middle C is C4.
B11 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 B as its lowest note.
x 2 2 2 2 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 E3 A3 C#4 F#4, third left out
7 7 7 9 7 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 E3 A3 E4 F#4 C#5, 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 B11
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 | B D# F# A C# E | B11 | |
| 1st inversion | D# F# A C# E B | B11/D# | |
| 2nd inversion | F# A C# E B D# | B11/F# | |
| 3rd inversion | A C# E B D# F# | B11/A | |
| 4th inversion | C# E B D# F# A | B11/C# | |
| 5th inversion | E B D# F# A C# | B11/E |
Where B11 fits
B11 is V11 in E major. The eleventh, E, is the same note as the fourth of a sus chord and wants to fall to the third D#; that is why the third is usually left out, and why B11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to B7 before the tonic.