Bmaj11

Bmaj11 is B, D#, F#, A#, C# and E, a major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written x21300, lowest string first.

Also written BM11, BΔ11 or B major 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Bmaj11 on the guitar, and 50 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Bmaj11 belongs to Ab minor (the ♭III) and B major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x21300, x22342, 76xx56, 778877, 778879, x-x-9-9-11-11, x-14-13-15-12-12.

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. Bmaj11 has x2135x, x2x340, 7x885x, 7689xx, x-x-9-8-11-12.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bmaj11 has 0213xx, xx1300, x2234x, 7788xx, x-x-9-9-11-11, xx2446, 6624xx, x6845x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bmaj11 has 0x130x, x2x340, 6x244x, x6x456, 7x885x, x-7-x-8-11-7, 11-x-9-9-11-x, x-13-x-9-12-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bmaj11 has xx1320, x4234x, xx2342, x7887x, x-x-11-9-11-11, x-x-13-11-11-12, xx2646, x6x352.

Tensions. A shell of Bmaj11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (G#).

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