Bb11 Bb dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- Bb D F Ab C Eb
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Also written
- A#11 (A# C## E# G# B# D#)
- Other symbols
- Bbdom11
Bb to D is a major third (4 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to C is a major third (4 semitones), C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, Eb, sits a minor ninth above the third D and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: Bb F Ab C Eb is how Bb11 is usually played, the same notes as Bb9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears Ab/Bb instead (Bb Ab C Eb), so the guitar shapes here keep F.
Bb11 on the piano
Root position from Bb4: Bb4, D5, F5, Ab5, C6, Eb6. Middle C is C4.
Bb11 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 Bb as its lowest note.
x 1 1 1 1 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 Eb3 Ab3 C4 F4, third left out
6 6 6 8 6 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 Eb3 Ab3 Eb4 F4 C5, 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 Bb11
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 | Bb D F Ab C Eb | Bb11 | |
| 1st inversion | D F Ab C Eb Bb | Bb11/D | |
| 2nd inversion | F Ab C Eb Bb D | Fm13 (also read as Bb11/F) | |
| 3rd inversion | Ab C Eb Bb D F | Bb11/Ab | |
| 4th inversion | C Eb Bb D F Ab | Bb11/C | |
| 5th inversion | Eb Bb D F Ab C | Bb11/Eb |
Where Bb11 fits
Bb11 is V11 in Eb major. The eleventh, Eb, 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 Bb11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to Bb7 before the tonic.