Emaj11

Emaj11 is E, G#, B, D#, F# and A, a major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 001100, lowest string first.

Also written EM11, EΔ11 or E major 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Emaj11 on the guitar, and 53 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Emaj11 belongs to C# minor (the ♭III) and E major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 001100, xx2244, 006445, x76855, x77897, 0-11-9-9-10-11, 12-11-x-x-10-11, 12-12-13-13-12-12, 12-12-13-13-12-14.

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. Emaj11 has xx2145, 0662xx, x7x895, x-7-6-8-10-x, 12-x-13-13-10-x, 12-11-13-14-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Emaj11 has 0011xx, xx2244, x7789x, 12-12-13-13-x-x, x0214x, x6625x, 4622xx, 5768xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Emaj11 has x0x140, 4x224x, x6x254, 5x685x, x7x895, 11-x-7-9-9-x, x-11-x-9-10-11, 12-x-13-13-10-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Emaj11 has x0110x, xx4244, xx6445, x9789x, xx7897, x-12-13-13-12-x, x0x142, xx1204.

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. Emaj11 has 004244, 0x6445.

Tensions. A shell of Emaj11, 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.