Em11

Em11 is E, G, B, D, F# and A, a minor eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 000002, lowest string first.

Also written Emin11, E-11 or E minor 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 10 common shapes for Em11 on the guitar, and 64 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Em11 belongs to D major (the ii), E minor (the i), G major (the vi) and B minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 000002, xx2233, 005430, x75755, x75775, x77787, 12-10-12-11-10-10, 12-x-12-12-10-x, 12-12-12-12-12-14, x-x-14-14-15-15.

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. Em11 has 0552xx, xx2035, x7x035, x7x785, 12-x-12-12-10-x, 12-10-12-14-x-x, x-7-5-7-10-x, x-7-12-12-10-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Em11 has x0203x, xx2233, 5757xx, xx5755, x7778x, x-x-12-12-10-12, 12-12-12-12-x-x, x-x-14-14-15-15.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Em11 has 3x223x, x5x253, x0x030, 5x575x, x7x785, 10-x-7-9-8-x, x-10-x-9-10-10, 12-x-12-12-10-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Em11 has xx4233, xx0203, x0403x, xx5435, xx5775, x9778x, xx7787, x-10-12-11-10-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. Em11 has 020233, 0x4233, 02523x, 57570x, 35220x, x25230.

Tensions. A shell of Em11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (C#).

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