What Are Eleventh Chords In Music? (Example: C11 F11 Bb11, etc.)

Here are the chords we did this week, I'll use C as the root:

C = C E G
C7 = C E G Bb
C9 = C E G Bb D
C11 = C E G Bb D F

If you'd rather see it as the intervals
C = R 3 5
C7 = R 3 5 b7
C9 = R 3 5 b7 9
C11 = R 3 5 b7 9 11

Notice how the C11 chord has to have the 7th and 9th notes in it. If it does not have them, then it simply is called a Cadd11 (because its a C chord with an 'added' 11th note)

The same goes for the C9 chord = it has to have the 7th. If it does not, then it's simply called a Cadd9, not a C9

On Guitar it is somewhat difficult to play these chords because you only have 4 fingers, whereas on piano it is much more easy, because you have 10 fingers from both hands.

If that's the case, and you're stuck, then you can always drop the 5th of the chord, and give the bass player the Root. The 5th of a chord is always used just to 'thicken' the chord, and doesn't give it any tonality or 'substance' or 'color'.

More tutorials IN ORDER at http://waltribeiro.net

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Eleventh Chords
• 11 chords
• guitar chord
• music lessons
• dominant
• theory

[xXXinfonlightXXx]

walt, lover yer vids, but sometimes the different chord tones are hard to distinguish from the classical guitar.

[waltribeiro]

@xXXinfonlightXXx sorry :(

[cuttyflam]

walt has anyone ever told you that you look like mike posner

[waltribeiro]

@cuttyflam never :) jk

[talentedMaster08]

ur vids rule



[boptillyouflop]

Minor chords (m7, m9, m11, m13, m6, madd9, m69) are indeed taken from the dorian mode (b3 b7) instead of the normal minor scale (aeolian mode, b3 b6 b7). That's because the b6 in aeolian mode is very dissonant (it makes a minor 9th with the 5th!) and tends to turn chords into inversions (if you add b6 to Dm it tends to turn into Bb/D for instance).The natural 6 from dorian mode usually sounds a lot better in chords so people use that.

[beakf1]

@boptillyouflop is the cm13 taken from the c dorian scale.thats the only one thats making sense of this chord for me with the major 13th interval in a minor chord :)

[beakf1]

@boptillyouflop the cm13 has an A which is a major 13th what scale is the cm13 chord constructed from please(i dont know if it can be taken from dorian phygian mixolydian aeolian and locrain or just one of them and if just one of them) :)

[beakf1]

@beakf1 but thanks for the reply.i got to the bit where dominant 7 chords had a minor 7th but you just said they are made from the mixolyidian scale and that makes sense to me cause its the 5th mode in which the chord is made from :D

[beakf1]

@boptillyouflop hehe that would have confused the hell outa me if i hadnt been reaserching all day.its simple stuff but yooh gotta work out loads of stuff from different sourced when your a begginer cause not 1 source tells the whole tale so just when you think you got it and everythings clicking into place summit throws a spanner in the works,......

[boptillyouflop]

@beakf1 In theory you can voice C11 as [C E G Bb D F] but in practice that's a terrible voicing! You _HAVE_ to voice the E and F either close together or have the E on top of the F, or else you get a minor 9th (1 octave + 1 half tone) which is EXTREMELY DISSONANT!

Also, C13 is played something like Bb D E A over C bass (other notes are dropped).

Cmaj7 Cmaj9 Cmaj13 are on the major scale. C7 C9 C11 C13 are actually on the mixolydian mode (major with b7). Also, Cm13 has A, not Ab.

[beakf1]

i was researching c major 11 and assumed it was the same as c11 :L

[beakf1]

wait wwwwwwwaaait agggggaaaain >:( ok so i was right for looking at the intervals but its not a major interval in c11.ugghhh im presuming because the chord is made from a dominant c7 which has a b7.since then ive noticed yooh have all this written under your video but i dont think that wouldve made sense unless i went on the little learning journey i did a minute ago >:@ omg this is brain taxing :)

[beakf1]

wait waaaait just a cotton picking minute >.< i think i found the answer.i looked up the intervals for the first time ever(cause im learning all this again and i neva got this far before and it says a major 7 is 11 frets and starting from the note c i land on b flat yaaaaaaaaaaaay that would have kept meh up all night annoying the hell outa me if i didnt figrue that out.yay for the internet.thanks for your help with chord explaination again.you could do one on intervals if yooh havnt allready :)

[beakf1]

@beakf1 ive just noticed when i google c7 its got b flat in it.i dont understand the b flat cause its not in c major scale.uuughhh so frustrating :(

[beakf1]

@boptillyouflop im not sure but the F or 11 is taken from the 2nd octave of the c major scale thats why its above the E because its above it in pitch.its not the F from the first octave its the F from the 2nd octave :) like i said im not sure :D.can you help me i thought it was a B and not B flat in C11 because its taken from the C major scale which has no sharps or flats.itll be great if yooh let me know and if it is B flat then why is it B flat instead of B :L

[beakf1]

im learning from lick library chords and the scales that fit them and he,s missing out bits which your helping me fill in which is great.what im stuck on tho is the 7th or b flat in your c9 and 11 chords.every c9 and c11 chord i google says b not b flat and the guy in lick library says its diatonic embelishing which means its taken from the c major scale only,and the c major scale doent have a B flat in it only a B.could yooh let me know if its a B or B flat before i move on.many thanks :D

[boptillyouflop]

C11 is more like

C F Bb D E

rather than

C E Bb D F (E has to be on top or else it's super dissonant!)

A lot of people even drop the E altogether (which makes it into Bb/C aka C9sus4)

[waltribeiro]

@ERPPP for add 13th chords, you omit the 11. for 13ths you keep the 11th

[thunderxy]

@waltribeiro @cuttyflam maybe because not many are listening to that kind of music when they discovered the guitar :))

[Masterboychris]

Another great video!

Can't wait for modes. ;]

Thanks Walt!