Dm11

Dm11 is D, F, A, C, E and G, a minor eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written xx0011, lowest string first.

Also written Dmin11, D-11 or D minor 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Dm11 on the guitar, and 66 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Dm11 belongs to C major (the ii), D minor (the i), F major (the vi) and A minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: xx0011, x53533, x53553, x55565, 10-8-10-9-8-8, 10-x-10-10-8-x, 10-10-10-10-10-12, x-x-12-12-13-13.

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. Dm11 has x5x563, xx0563, 10-x-10-10-8-x, 10-8-10-12-x-x, x5358x, x-5-10-10-8-x, 10-15-15-12-x-x, x-x-12-10-13-15.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Dm11 has 1300xx, xx0011, 3535xx, x3303x, xx3533, x5556x, x-x-10-10-8-10, 10-10-10-10-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Dm11 has 1x001x, x3x031, 3x353x, x5x563, 8x576x, x8x788, 10-x-10-10-8-x, x-10-x-10-13-10.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Dm11 has xx2011, x0301x, xx3213, x3305x, xx3553, x7556x, xx5565, x-8-10-9-8-x.

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. Dm11 has 353500, 003533, x55560, 05556x, x03553, 0x5565.

Tensions. A shell of Dm11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (B).

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