Em11 guitar chord
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.
- Tap a note to hear it
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- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About Em11 — shell voicings
Em11 is E, G, B, D, F# and A — Em9 with the eleventh added on top.
It sounds spacious and slightly unresolved. The eleventh is a whole step above the minor third, so unlike its major counterpart it fits without a fight.
Em11 notes and formula
| E | G | B | D | F# | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ♭3 | 5 | ♭7 | 9 | 11 |
Pre-dominant or minor tonic — it hangs rather than moves.
Also written Emin11, E-11 or E minor 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Em11
Root, third and seventh. The third and seventh, the guide tones, are what make the chord major, minor or dominant, so the fifth can go: it says nothing the symbol needs.
Three notes means a spare string, which is the real point. Put a tension on it.
Em11 has 8 of them, on the bottom four strings, the top four strings, strings 5-3-2-1, strings 6-4-3-2 and the middle four strings, from the 2nd fret up to the 10th — all in one inversion, so the bass note never moves. The one to learn first is the E shape at the 2nd fret.
Start with 000002 — no barre and 5 open strings. 2 of the 10 shapes here sit in open position. 6 of the 10 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 15th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 000002 | open position | E, root position | F# | 5 open strings |
| xx2233 | 2nd fret | E, root position | G | all fretted |
| 005430 | open position | E, root position | E | 3 open strings |
| x75755 | 5th fret | E, root position | A | barred |
| x75775 | 5th fret | E, root position | A | barred |
| x77787 | 7th fret | E, root position | B | barred |
| 12-10-12-11-10-10 | 10th fret | E, root position | D | barred |
| 12-x-12-12-10-x | 10th fret | E, root position | A | barred |
| 12-12-12-12-12-14 | 12th fret | E, root position | F# | barred |
| x-x-14-14-15-15 | 14th fret | E, root position | G | all fretted |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 15 drop 2, 10 drop 3, 25 rootless and 6 open string voicings, each on its own page.
Tensions. A shell of Em11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (C#).
How to use Em11
How you get to it. The turn that lands on Em11 is F#m7♭5 to B7♭9: the ii and the V of E minor, which is where a minor tonic is usually arrived at rather than simply begun on.
In which keys. Every note of Em11 belongs to D major (the ii, the supertonic), E minor (the i, the tonic), G major (the vi, the submediant) and B minor (the iv, the subdominant).
What to play over Em11
Every note of Em11 is in E dorian and E natural minor.
Chords near Em11
Change one note of Em11 and you have Em9 (drop the fourth), EmMaj11 (the flat seventh becomes a major seventh) or E11 (drop the minor third).
Em11 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. Minor chords on every root.
On Em11’s sound and use this page follows Mark Levine, The Jazz Theory Book (Sher Music, 1995). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.