G11 G dominant eleventh chord
- Notes
- G B D F A C
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 above the root
- Other symbols
- Gdom11
G to B is a major third (4 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones), F to A is a major third (4 semitones), A to C is a minor third (3 semitones). All six notes stacked in thirds, 1 3 5 b7 9 11. The eleventh, C, sits a minor ninth above the third B and clashes with it, so in practice the third is left out: G D F A C is how G11 is usually played, the same notes as G9sus4. Leave out the fifth as well and the engine hears F/G instead (G F A C), so the guitar shapes here keep D.
G11 on the piano
Root position from G4: G4, B4, D5, F5, A5, C6. Middle C is C4.
G11 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 G as its lowest note.
3 3 3 5 3 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 C3 F3 C4 D4 A4, third left out
x 10 10 10 10 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds G3 C4 F4 A4 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 G11
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 | G B D F A C | G11 | |
| 1st inversion | B D F A C G | G11/B | |
| 2nd inversion | D F A C G B | Dm13 (also read as G11/D) | |
| 3rd inversion | F A C G B D | G11/F | |
| 4th inversion | A C G B D F | G11/A | |
| 5th inversion | C G B D F A | G11/C |
Where G11 fits
G11 is V11 in C major. The eleventh, C, is the same note as the fourth of a sus chord and wants to fall to the third B; that is why the third is usually left out, and why G11 works as a softer V that delays the pull home. It often moves to G7 before the tonic.