C11 C dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- C E G Bb D F
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Other symbols
- Cdom11
C to E is a major third (4 semitones), E to G is a minor third (3 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb to D is a major third (4 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, F, sits a minor ninth above the third E and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: C G Bb D F is how C11 is usually played, the same notes as C9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears Bb/C instead (C Bb D F), so the guitar shapes here keep G.
C11 on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, E4, G4, Bb4, D5, F5. Middle C is C4.
C11 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 C as its lowest note.
x 3 3 3 3 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 F3 Bb3 D4 G4, third left out
8 8 8 10 8 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 F3 Bb3 F4 G4 D5, 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 C11
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 | C E G Bb D F | C11 | |
| 1st inversion | E G Bb D F C | C11/E | |
| 2nd inversion | G Bb D F C E | Gm13 (also read as C11/G) | |
| 3rd inversion | Bb D F C E G | C11/Bb | |
| 4th inversion | D F C E G Bb | C11/D | |
| 5th inversion | F C E G Bb D | C11/F |
Where C11 fits
C11 is V11 in F major. The eleventh, F, is the same note as the fourth of a sus chord and wants to fall to the third E; that is why the third is usually left out, and why C11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to C7 before the tonic.