Db11 Db dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- Db F Ab Cb Eb Gb
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Also written
- C#11 (C# E# G# B D# F#)
- Other symbols
- Dbdom11
Db to F is a major third (4 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to Cb is a minor third (3 semitones), Cb to Eb is a major third (4 semitones), Eb to Gb is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, Gb, sits a minor ninth above the third F and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: Db Ab Cb Eb Gb is how Db11 is usually played, the same notes as Db9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears B/C# instead (Db Cb Eb Gb), so the guitar shapes here keep Ab.
Db11 on the piano
Root position from Db4: Db4, F4, Ab4, Cb5, Eb5, Gb5. Middle C is C4.
Db11 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 Db as its lowest note.
x 4 4 4 4 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 Gb3 Cb4 Eb4 Ab4, third left out
9 9 9 11 9 11 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 Gb3 Cb4 Gb4 Ab4 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 Db11
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 | Db F Ab Cb Eb Gb | Db11 | |
| 1st inversion | F Ab Cb Eb Gb Db | Db11/F | |
| 2nd inversion | Ab Cb Eb Gb Db F | Db11/Ab | |
| 3rd inversion | Cb Eb Gb Db F Ab | Db11/B | |
| 4th inversion | Eb Gb Db F Ab Cb | Db11/Eb | |
| 5th inversion | Gb Db F Ab Cb Eb | Db11/Gb |
Where Db11 fits
Db11 is V11 in Gb major. The eleventh, Gb, 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 Db11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to Db7 before the tonic.