Ebmmaj11

EbmMaj11 is Eb, Gb, Bb, D, F and Ab, a minor major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written xx1132, lowest string first.

Also written EbmM11 or Ebm(maj11). The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for EbmMaj11 on the guitar, and 52 derived voicings in 4 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: xx1132, x11132, x64764, x66776, x66886, 11-11-12-11-11-13, x-13-13-13-15-14.

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. EbmMaj11 has x6x774, 11-x-12-11-9-x, 11-9-12-13-x-x, x6479x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. EbmMaj11 has xx1132, x6677x, 11-11-12-11-x-x, x-x-13-13-15-14, x5414x, 2511xx, 4647xx, xx4744.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. EbmMaj11 has 2x113x, x5x142, 4x474x, x6x774, 10-x-6-8-7-x, x-9-x-8-9-10, 11-x-12-11-9-x, x-11-x-11-15-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. EbmMaj11 has xx3132, xx4334, x8677x, xx6776, x9879x, x-11-12-11-11-x, x-x-15-13-15-14, x1413x.

Tensions. A shell of EbmMaj11, 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.