E11

E11 is E, B, D, F# and A, a dominant eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 000100, lowest string first.

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

Also written E9sus4 or E dominant 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for E11 on the guitar, and 63 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of E11 and you have Esus2sus4 (with one note taken away), Em9 (with one note moved), Em11 (with one note added), E7sus4 (with one note taken away) or E9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of E11 belongs to D major (the ii), E minor (the i), F# minor (the ♭VII), G major (the vi), A major (the V) and B minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 000100, 004434, 222234, x76755, x77797, x-11-9-9-10-10, 12-12-12-13-12-12.

Under the hand. 2 of the 7 shapes here sit in open position, and the first uses 5 open strings. 4 of the 7 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 13th.

Where it goes. E11 is the V of A, and that is where it goes if it goes anywhere: the third and the flat seventh are a tritone apart, and both resolve by a semitone into A.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. E11 has xx2232, x2223x, 0202xx, xx0200, xx7757, x7777x, 7777xx, x-x-9-9-10-10.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. E11 has 2x223x, x5x252, 5x243x, 0x020x, x2x230, 5x475x, x5x455, x7x775.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. E11 has x2423x, xx0202, xx4435, xx7777, x-x-9-11-10-10, x-12-12-11-12-x, x-x-12-14-12-14, x2x232.

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. E11 has 007777, 02423x, 0x4435, x24230, 25220x, 57470x.

What kind of chord this is. E11 is a dominant chord — root, major third, fifth, minor seventh. dominant seventh 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.