Bmaj11

Bmaj11 is B, D#, F#, A#, C# and E, a major eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written x21300, lowest string first.

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

Also written BM11, BΔ11 or B major 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Bmaj11 on the guitar, and 50 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Bmaj11 and you have Bmaj9 (with one note taken away), Bmaj13 (with one note moved) or BmMaj11 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Bmaj11 belongs to Ab minor (the ♭III) and B major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x21300, x22342, 76xx56, 778877, 778879, x-x-9-9-11-11, x-14-13-15-12-12.

Under the hand. 1 of the 7 shapes here sits in open position, and the first uses 2 open strings with 1 left unplayed. 3 of the 7 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 15th.

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. Bmaj11 has x2135x, x2x340, 7x885x, 7689xx, x-x-9-8-11-12.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bmaj11 has 0213xx, xx1300, x2234x, 7788xx, x-x-9-9-11-11, xx2446, 6624xx, x6845x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bmaj11 has 0x130x, x2x340, 6x244x, x6x456, 7x885x, x-7-x-8-11-7, 11-x-9-9-11-x, x-13-x-9-12-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bmaj11 has xx1320, x4234x, xx2342, x7887x, x-x-11-9-11-11, x-x-13-11-11-12, xx2646, x6x352.

Tensions. A shell of Bmaj11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (G#).

What kind of chord this is. Bmaj11 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. major 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.