Fm11

Fm11 is F, Ab, C, Eb, G and Bb, a minor eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 111113, lowest string first.

Note by note. F is the root, Ab is the minor third, C is the fifth, Eb is the flat seventh, G is the ninth and Bb is the eleventh.

Also written Fmin11, 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 Fm11 on the guitar, and 52 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Fm11 and you have Fm9 (with one note taken away), FmMaj11 (with one note moved) or F11 (with one note taken away).

In which keys. Every note of Fm11 belongs to C minor (the iv), Eb major (the ii), F minor (the i) and Ab major (the vi).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 111113, xx3344, x86866, x86886, x88898, 13-11-13-12-11-11, 13-x-13-13-11-x, 13-13-13-13-13-15.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Fm11 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 7 of the 8 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. Fm11 has x8x896, 13-x-13-13-11-x, 13-11-13-15-x-x, 1663xx, xx3146, x-8-6-8-11-x, x-8-13-13-11-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Fm11 has 1111xx, xx3344, 6868xx, xx6866, x8889x, x-x-13-13-11-13, 13-13-13-13-x-x, x1314x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Fm11 has x1x141, 4x334x, x6x364, 6x686x, x8x896, 11-x-8-10-9-x, x-11-x-10-11-11, 13-x-13-13-11-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Fm11 has x1111x, xx5344, xx6546, xx6886, x-10-8-8-9-x, xx8898, x-11-13-12-11-x, x-13-13-13-13-x.

Tensions. A shell of Fm11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (D).

What kind of chord this is. Fm11 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.