1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
A♭11 (also written G♯11) is a dominant eleventh chord made of 6 notes: A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭. It sounds thick and open, and you hear it in soul, funk and fusion, often played without the third. It is the V chord of D♭ major and turns up in 2 other keys.
The library above opens on A♭11 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.
| Note | Degree | Interval from A♭ | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | 1 | root | 0 |
| C | 3 | major third | 4 |
| E♭ | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| G♭ | ♭7 | minor seventh | 10 |
| B♭ | 9 | major ninth | 14 |
| D♭ | 11 | perfect eleventh | 17 |
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9 – 11. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord. With the other spelling, G♯11 is G♯, B♯, D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯: the same sounds under different names.
444544x(11)(11)(11)(11)8x(11)(11)(11)(13)(11)4411124443144445xxEvery full shape of A♭11 needs a barre or a stretch. In many songs you can also swap in A♭maj7, A♭sus2, A♭sus4, which share most of its notes and need no barre. If you want the real thing, the e-shape barre at fret 1 shape is the gentlest start.
A♭11 belongs to 3 keys: V in D♭ major, V7 in C♯ minor, VII in B♭ minor. In D♭ major, try I–V–vi–IV: D♭ – A♭11 – B♭m – G♭.
A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth, eleventh.
E-shape barre at fret 1: 411522 (low string first), rated Hard.
A♭11 has D♭. A♭11 sounds thick and open; A♭9 sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour.
It needs a barre in every shape, so it takes some practice. Start with the e-shape barre at fret 1 shape, rated Hard.