Eb11

Eb11 is Eb, Bb, Db, F and Ab, a dominant eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 111123, lowest string first.

Also written Eb9sus4 or Eb dominant 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 5 common shapes for Eb11 on the guitar, and 56 derived voicings in 3 families.

In which keys. Every note of Eb11 belongs to C# major (the ii), Eb minor (the i), F minor (the ♭VII), F# major (the vi), Ab major (the V) and Bb minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 111123, x65644, x66686, x-10-8-8-9-9, 11-11-11-12-11-11.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Eb11 has xx1121, x1112x, xx6646, x6666x, 6666xx, xx8899, x-x-11-10-9-11, 11-11-11-10-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. Eb11 has 1x112x, x4x141, 4x132x, 4x364x, x4x344, x6x664, 6x664x, 9x686x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Eb11 has x1312x, xx3324, xx6666, x-x-8-10-9-9, x-11-11-10-11-x, x-x-11-13-11-13, x-13-15-13-14-x, x1x121.

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