Ammaj11

AmMaj11 is A, C, E, G#, B and D, a minor major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written x00110, lowest string first.

Note by note. A is the root, C is the minor third, E is the fifth, G# is the major seventh, B is the ninth and D is the eleventh.

Also written AmM11 or Am(maj11). The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for AmMaj11 on the guitar, and 58 derived voicings in 5 families.

One note away. Change a single note of AmMaj11 and you have Amaj11 (with one note moved), Am11 (with one note moved) or AmMaj9 (with one note taken away).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x00110, 556557, x07798, xx7798, x77798, x-12-10-13-12-10, x-12-12-13-13-12, x-12-12-14-14-12.

Under the hand. 1 of the 8 shapes here sits in open position, and the first uses 3 open strings with 1 left unplayed. 4 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 14th.

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. AmMaj11 has 5x653x, x0653x, 5367xx, x-12-x-13-13-10, x-x-7-5-9-10, x-12-10-13-15-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. AmMaj11 has x0011x, 4302xx, 5565xx, xx7798, x-12-12-13-13-x, xx0214, x3623x, xx6535.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. AmMaj11 has 4x021x, x3x234, 5x653x, x5x595, 8x779x, x-11-x-7-10-8, 10-x-10-13-10-x, x-12-x-13-13-10.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. AmMaj11 has x2011x, x3213x, xx0110, x5655x, xx9798, x-x-10-9-9-10, x-14-12-13-13-x, x-x-12-13-13-12.

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. AmMaj11 has 556500, x02534, 5x6530, 030434, 0x6535, 4x0500.

Tensions. A shell of AmMaj11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (F#).

What kind of chord this is. AmMaj11 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. minor chords on every root, and what they are for.

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