D11 D dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- D F# A C E G
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Other symbols
- Ddom11
D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C is a minor third (3 semitones), C to E is a major third (4 semitones), E to G is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, G, sits a minor ninth above the third F# and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: D A C E G is how D11 is usually played, the same notes as D9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears C/D instead (D C E G), so the guitar shapes here keep A.
D11 on the piano
Root position from D4: D4, F#4, A4, C5, E5, G5. Middle C is C4.
D11 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 D as its lowest note.
x 5 5 5 5 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 G3 C4 E4 A4, third left out
10 10 10 12 10 12 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 G3 C4 G4 A4 E5, 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 D11
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 | D F# A C E G | D11 | |
| 1st inversion | F# A C E G D | D11/F# | |
| 2nd inversion | A C E G D F# | Am13 (also read as D11/A) | |
| 3rd inversion | C E G D F# A | D11/C | |
| 4th inversion | E G D F# A C | D11/E | |
| 5th inversion | G D F# A C E | D11/G |
Where D11 fits
D11 is V11 in G major. The eleventh, G, is the same note as the fourth of a sus chord and wants to fall to the third F#; that is why the third is usually left out, and why D11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to D7 before the tonic.