E11 E dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- E G# B D F# A
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Other symbols
- Edom11
E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, A, sits a minor ninth above the third G# and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: E B D F# A is how E11 is usually played, the same notes as E9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears D/E instead (E D F# A), so the guitar shapes here keep B.
E11 on the piano
Root position from E4: E4, G#4, B4, D5, F#5, A5. Middle C is C4.
E11 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 E as its lowest note.
0 0 0 2 0 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds E2 A2 D3 A3 B3 F#4, third left out
x 7 7 7 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 A3 D4 F#4 B4, 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 E11
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 | E G# B D F# A | E11 | |
| 1st inversion | G# B D F# A E | E11/G# | |
| 2nd inversion | B D F# A E G# | E11/B | |
| 3rd inversion | D F# A E G# B | E11/D | |
| 4th inversion | F# A E G# B D | E11/F# | |
| 5th inversion | A E G# B D F# | E11/A |
Where E11 fits
E11 is V11 in A major. The eleventh, A, is the same note as the fourth of a sus chord and wants to fall to the third G#; that is why the third is usually left out, and why E11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to E7 before the tonic.