Eb11 Eb dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- Eb G Bb Db F Ab
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Also written
- D#11 (D# F## A# C# E# G#)
- Other symbols
- Ebdom11
Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones), Db to F is a major third (4 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, Ab, sits a minor ninth above the third G and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: Eb Bb Db F Ab is how Eb11 is usually played, the same notes as Eb9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears Db/Eb instead (Eb Db F Ab), so the guitar shapes here keep Bb.
Eb11 on the piano
Root position from Eb4: Eb4, G4, Bb4, Db5, F5, Ab5. Middle C is C4.
Eb11 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 Eb as its lowest note.
x 6 6 6 6 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Ab3 Db4 F4 Bb4, third left out
11 11 11 13 11 13 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Ab3 Db4 Ab4 Bb4 F5, 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 Eb11
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 | Eb G Bb Db F Ab | Eb11 | |
| 1st inversion | G Bb Db F Ab Eb | Eb11/G | |
| 2nd inversion | Bb Db F Ab Eb G | Bbm13 (also read as Eb11/Bb) | |
| 3rd inversion | Db F Ab Eb G Bb | Eb11/Db | |
| 4th inversion | F Ab Eb G Bb Db | Eb11/F | |
| 5th inversion | Ab Eb G Bb Db F | Eb11/Ab |
Where Eb11 fits
Eb11 is V11 in Ab major. The eleventh, Ab, 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 Eb11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to Eb7 before the tonic.