Amaj11

Amaj11 is A, C#, E, G#, B and D, a major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written x00120, lowest string first.

Also written AM11, AΔ11 or A major 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Amaj11 on the guitar, and 58 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Amaj11 belongs to F# minor (the ♭III) and A major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x00120, x00224, 54xx34, 556655, 556657, xx7799, 10-0-9-9-9-9, x-12-11-13-10-10, x-12-12-13-14-12.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Amaj11 has 5x663x, x0663x, 5467xx, x-x-7-6-9-10, x-12-x-13-14-10, x-12-11-13-15-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Amaj11 has x0012x, xx0224, 4402xx, 5566xx, xx7799, x-12-12-13-14-x, x4623x, xx6635.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Amaj11 has x4x234, 4x022x, 5x663x, x5x695, 9x779x, x-11-x-7-10-9, 10-x-11-13-10-x, x-12-x-13-14-10.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Amaj11 has x2012x, xx0120, xx0424, x5665x, xx9799, x-x-11-9-9-10, x-14-12-13-14-x, x4213x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Amaj11 has 556600, 5x6630, 54670x, 040434, 04643x, x46430.

Tensions. A shell of Amaj11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (F#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.