Ebm11

Ebm11 is Eb, Gb, Bb, Db, F and Ab, a minor eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written xx1122, lowest string first.

Also written Ebmin11, Eb-11 or Eb minor 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Ebm11 on the guitar, and 53 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Ebm11 belongs to C# major (the ii), Eb minor (the i), F# major (the vi) and Bb minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: xx1122, x64644, x64664, x66676, 11-9-11-10-9-9, 11-x-11-11-9-x, 11-11-11-11-11-13, x-x-13-13-14-14.

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. Ebm11 has x6x674, 11-x-11-11-9-x, 11-9-11-13-x-x, x6469x, x-6-11-11-9-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Ebm11 has xx1122, 4646xx, xx4644, x6667x, x-x-11-11-9-11, 11-11-11-11-x-x, x-x-13-13-14-14, x4414x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Ebm11 has 2x112x, x4x142, 4x464x, x6x674, 9x687x, x9x899, 11-x-11-11-9-x, x-11-x-11-14-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Ebm11 has xx3122, xx4324, xx4664, x8667x, xx6676, x-9-11-10-9-x, x-11-11-11-11-x, x-x-15-13-14-14.

Tensions. A shell of Ebm11, 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.