Ammaj11

AmMaj11 is A, C, E, G#, B and D, a minor major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written x00110, lowest string first.

Also written AmM11 or Am(maj11). The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for AmMaj11 on the guitar, and 58 derived voicings in 5 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x00110, 556557, x07798, xx7798, x77798, x-12-10-13-12-10, x-12-12-13-13-12, x-12-12-14-14-12.

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. AmMaj11 has 5x653x, x0653x, 5367xx, x-12-x-13-13-10, x-x-7-5-9-10, x-12-10-13-15-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. AmMaj11 has x0011x, 4302xx, 5565xx, xx7798, x-12-12-13-13-x, xx0214, x3623x, xx6535.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. AmMaj11 has 4x021x, x3x234, 5x653x, x5x595, 8x779x, x-11-x-7-10-8, 10-x-10-13-10-x, x-12-x-13-13-10.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. AmMaj11 has x2011x, x3213x, xx0110, x5655x, xx9798, x-x-10-9-9-10, x-14-12-13-13-x, x-x-12-13-13-12.

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. AmMaj11 has 556500, x02534, 5x6530, 030434, 0x6535, 4x0500.

Tensions. A shell of AmMaj11, 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.