Gm11

Gm11 is G, Bb, D, F, A and C, a minor eleventh. The shape this page opens on is written 313211, lowest string first.

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

Also written Gmin11, G-11 or G minor 11. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Gm11 on the guitar, and 61 derived voicings in 5 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Gm11 and you have Gm9 (with one note taken away), GmMaj11 (with one note moved) or G11 (with one note taken away).

In which keys. Every note of Gm11 belongs to D minor (the iv), F major (the ii), G minor (the i) and Bb major (the vi).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 313211, 3x331x, 333335, xx5566, x-10-8-10-8-8, x-10-8-10-10-8, x-10-10-10-11-10, 15-13-15-14-13-13.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Gm11 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. Gm11 has 3x331x, 3135xx, x-10-x-10-11-8, 15-x-15-15-13-x, 3885xx, xx5368, x-10-8-10-13-x, x-10-15-15-13-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Gm11 has xx3313, x1301x, 3333xx, xx5566, 8-10-8-10-x-x, x-x-8-10-8-8, x-10-10-10-11-x, x-x-15-15-13-15.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Gm11 has x1x011, 3x331x, x3x363, 6x556x, x8x586, 8-x-8-10-8-x, x-10-x-10-11-8, 13-x-10-12-11-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Gm11 has x1321x, xx0311, x3333x, xx7566, xx8768, x-x-8-10-10-8, x-12-10-10-11-x, x-x-10-10-11-10.

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. Gm11 has x33330, 6x5560, x05566.

Tensions. A shell of Gm11, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 13 (E).

What kind of chord this is. Gm11 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.