Abmmaj11

AbmMaj11 is Ab, Cb, Eb, G, Bb and Db, a minor major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 445446, lowest string first.

Note by note. Ab is the root, Cb is the minor third, Eb is the fifth, G is the major seventh, Bb is the ninth and Db is the eleventh.

Also written AbmM11 or Abm(maj11). The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for AbmMaj11 on the guitar, and 51 derived voicings in 5 families.

One note away. Change a single note of AbmMaj11 and you have Abmaj11 (with one note moved), Abm11 (with one note moved) or AbmMaj9 (with one note taken away).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 445446, xx6687, x66687, x-11-9-12-11-9, x-11-11-12-12-11, x-11-11-13-13-11.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for AbmMaj11 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 4th fret. 4 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 4th fret to the 13th.

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. AbmMaj11 has 4x542x, 4256xx, x-11-x-12-12-9, xx6489, x-11-9-12-14-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. AbmMaj11 has 4454xx, xx6687, x-11-11-12-12-x, x2512x, xx5424, x4648x, x-10-9-6-9-x, 7-10-6-6-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. AbmMaj11 has x2x123, 4x542x, x4x484, 7x668x, x-10-x-6-9-7, 9-x-9-12-9-x, x-11-x-12-12-9, 15-x-11-13-12-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. AbmMaj11 has x2102x, x4544x, xx8687, xx9889, x-13-11-12-12-x, x-x-11-12-12-11, x-14-13-12-14-x, xx1423.

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. AbmMaj11 has x4300x.

Tensions. A shell of AbmMaj11, 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. AbmMaj11 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.