Bbmaj11

Bbmaj11 is Bb, D, F, A, C and Eb, a major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written x11231, lowest string first.

Also written BbM11, BbΔ11 or Bb major 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Bbmaj11 on the guitar, and 57 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Bbmaj11 belongs to G minor (the ♭III) and Bb major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x11231, 6x0545, 65xx45, 667766, 667768, x-x-8-8-10-10, x-13-12-14-11-11, x-13-13-14-15-13.

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. Bbmaj11 has x1024x, 6x024x, 6x774x, 6578xx, x-x-8-7-10-11, x-13-x-14-15-11.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bbmaj11 has x1123x, 6677xx, x-x-8-8-10-10, x-13-13-14-15-x, xx1335, 5513xx, x5734x, xx7746.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bbmaj11 has 5x133x, x5x345, 6x774x, x-6-x-7-10-6, 10-x-8-8-10-x, x-12-x-8-11-10, 11-x-12-14-11-x, x-13-x-14-15-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bbmaj11 has x3123x, xx1231, x6776x, x-x-10-8-10-10, x-x-12-10-10-11, x-15-13-14-15-x, x-x-13-14-15-13, x5x241.

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. Bbmaj11 has x00046, xx0045, 5600xx, 5x004x, x0034x.

Tensions. A shell of Bbmaj11, 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.