F#m11

F#m11 is F#, A, C#, E, G# and B, a minor eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 202100, lowest string first.

Also written F#min11, F#-11 or F# minor 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for F#m11 on the guitar, and 61 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of F#m11 belongs to C# minor (the iv), E major (the ii), F# minor (the i) and A major (the vi).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 202100, 222224, xx4455, x97977, x97997, x-9-9-9-10-9, 14-12-14-13-12-12, 14-x-14-14-12-x.

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. F#m11 has 2024xx, 2x220x, x-9-x-9-10-7, 14-x-14-14-12-x, 2774xx, xx4257, x-9-7-9-12-x, x-9-14-14-12-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. F#m11 has xx2202, 2222xx, xx4455, 7979xx, xx7977, x-9-9-9-10-x, x-x-14-14-12-14, 14-14-14-14-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. F#m11 has x2x252, 2x220x, 5x445x, x7x475, 7x797x, x-9-x-9-10-7, 12-x-9-11-10-x, x-12-x-11-12-12.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. F#m11 has x0210x, xx2204, x2222x, xx6455, xx7657, xx7997, x-11-9-9-10-x, x-x-9-9-10-9.

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. F#m11 has 00660x, x06600, 004600, xx4200, 0044xx, 0x760x.

Tensions. A shell of F#m11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (D#).

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