A dominant eleventh chord is composed using a root/1^st, major 3^rd, perfect 5^th, minor 7^th, major 9^th and perfect 11^th (or R/1-3-5-7-9-11) intervals played simultaneously. Generally written as C¹¹ or Cdom¹¹, it is good practice to simply use an uppercase C followed by a superscripted ¹¹ to represent it in writing (ie: C¹¹).

Major, Minor & Dominant Eleventh Chords

Although it is uncommon to see a major eleventh or dominant eleventh chords in manuscript, they are none-the-less chords in their own right. Theoretically, the major third interval and the perfect eleventh (equivalent to a perfect fourth) clash and cause dissonance, which is why most voicings omit the third degree, this however changes the chord into a MA^9sus4 or a ^9sus4 depending on quality. Another common solution is to simply raise the eleventh degree turning the chord into a MA⁷⁽¹¹⁾ or ⁷⁽¹¹⁾. There are many musicians (myself included) who like the dissonance created between the third and eleventh (fourth) intervals when the chord is voiced correctly however, if you happen to come across a major eleventh or dominant eleventh chord(s) in manuscript or while gigging, it is more likely the composer want's the third omitted to form a MA^9sus4 or a ^9sus4.

Amongst the chord voicings below there a some that contain a major third and some that do not, the choice is yours as to which voicings you play but as a general rule: (1) when reading manuscript and/or gigging, play the voicings without the major third and (2) in any other situation (ie: practicing, composing) use either chord voicing to your liking but keep in mind when adding other instruments on top of the guitar, the dissonant major third/perfect eleventh (perfect fourth) combination can get mucky, be sure the other instruments stay away from the major third and perfect eleventh (perfect fourth). If you are composing and specifically want the musician to play a chord voicing with the major third, be sure to include a chord diagram showing the voicing and notation, otherwise he/she will likely play a MA^9sus4 or a ^9sus4. If you wish the voicing not to contain the major third interval, then please notate it as a MA^9sus4 or a ^9sus4.

Dominant Eleventh Chord Profile

Intervals	root/1st, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, major 9th, perfect 11th or R/1-3-5-7-9-11)
Stability	Somewhat dissonant / Unresolved
Grouping Class	Hexad
Common Names (examples in C)	C11, Cdom11, C9sus4, C9sus

Dominant Eleventh Chord Voicings

The chord voicings below are not shown in any particular key, they are shapes which can be moved around the guitar neck freely using the root note (circled dot) as your navigator. See example below.

• How to use
• As an example, let's say you require a D major chord
• After playing all the chord voicings, you decide on voicing #2
• Voicing #2 has it's root on the 5^th string so you need to find the D note on this string
• Click the notes on the neck chart tab and find the D note on the 5^th fret (5^th string)
• Now play D major using voicing #2 on the 5^th fret
• Use the Octave chart tab to help you remember which notes are where
• Use the Chord chart help tab if your a beginner at reading chord boxes

Dominant Eleventh Chord Audio Sample(s)

To download audio sample(s) for later listening, right click on the MP3 link, then from the context menu that appears select Save Target As (Internet Explorer) or Save Link As (Firefox).

Audio Sample Name	Flash	MP3
C Dominant Eleventh Chord voicing #2		c-dominant-eleventh-chord-voicing-2.mp3

Related Lessons & Resources

• Guitar Lessons
• • How to read chord diagrams
• Music Theory
• • Altered scale
  • Harmonizing a major scale (triads)

External Resources

• Eleventh chord at Wikipedia.org