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Guitar chords · Minor 11th

B♭m11 chord on guitar (Bbm11)

B♭m11 (B♭ minor 11th) has six notes: B♭, D♭, F, A♭, C and E♭, the , ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9 and 11.

Shapes

How to play B♭m11

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

B♭m11 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 1

    ×R11♭7♭35B♭E♭A♭D♭F
  • E shape · fret 6

    4fr××R♭7♭311B♭A♭D♭E♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes B♭m11 minor 11th

A minor 11th chord stacks the 9th and the 11th on a minor . On a minor chord the 11th does not clash, so it stays: keep the ♭3rd, the ♭7th and the 11th, and drop the 5th or the 9th. It has an open, floating sound heard in funk and fusion.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The ♭3rd, the ♭7th and the 11th make B♭m11 a minor 11th chord; you can leave out the 5th and the 9th.

  1. B♭Rroot
  2. D♭♭3essential
  3. F5optional
  4. A♭♭7essential
  5. C9optional
  6. E♭11essential
EADGBE0135791215B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭FA♭CD♭E♭FCD♭E♭FA♭CE♭FA♭CD♭E♭FA♭CD♭E♭FA♭CD♭E♭FA♭CD♭FA♭CD♭E♭F
  • B♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

B♭m11 often leads to E♭7 and then A♭: the ii11–V7–I of A♭ major.

B♭m11 and A♯m11 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with B♭m11

B♭m11 belongs to four keys: D♭ major (vi11), A♭ major (ii11), B♭ minor (i11) and F minor (iv11).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

B♭m11 over another bass note

A keeps B♭m11 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • B♭m11/D♭

    B♭m11 with its ♭3rd, D♭, in the bass.

  • B♭m11/F

    B♭m11 with its 5th, F, in the bass.

  • B♭m11/A♭

    B♭m11 with its ♭7th, A♭, in the bass.

Questions

B♭m11, in short

What notes are in the B♭m11 chord?
B♭m11 (B♭ minor 11th) has six notes: B♭, D♭, F, A♭, C and E♭, the , ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9 and 11.
How do you play B♭m11 on guitar?
B♭m11 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6.
What key is B♭m11 in?
B♭m11 belongs to four keys: D♭ major (vi11), A♭ major (ii11), B♭ minor (i11) and F minor (iv11).
Is B♭m11 the same as A♯m11?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. B♭m11 is the spelling in D♭ major, A♭ major, B♭ minor and F minor; A♯m11 only in C♯ major and A♯ minor, which most players write as D♭ major and B♭ minor.
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