C♯11 / D♭11 Chord on Guitar

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C♯11 (also written D♭11) is a dominant eleventh chord made of 6 notes: C♯, E♯, G♯, B, D♯, F♯. 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 F♯ major and turns up in 2 other keys.

The library above opens on C♯11 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in C♯11

NoteDegreeInterval from C♯Semitones
C♯1root0
E♯3major third4
G♯5perfect fifth7
B♭7minor seventh10
D♯9major ninth14
F♯11perfect eleventh17

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, D♭11 is D♭, F, A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭: the same sounds under different names.

How to play C♯11

22221
Fret 1Easyx44441
3241
Open positionEasyx43402
4fr12
A-shape barre at fret 4Easyx44464
9fr12
E-shape barre at fret 9Easy999(10)99
4fr1234
Fret 4Easyx4446x
6fr3412
E-shape barre at fret 6Medium996667

E-shape barre at fret 6 (root on the 6th string), step by step

  1. Lay your 1st finger (index) flat across the 5th string to the 4th string at the 6th fret.
  2. 2nd finger (middle): across the 2nd string and 1st string at the 7th fret (F♯, B).
  3. 3rd finger (ring): 6th string, 9th fret (C♯, the root).
  4. 4th finger (little): 3rd string, 10th fret (E♯, the major third).
  5. Strum from the 6th string across all six strings.

Easier ways to play C♯11

Every full shape of C♯11 needs a barre or a stretch. In many songs you can also swap in C♯maj7, C♯sus2, C♯sus4, which share most of its notes and need no barre. If you want the real thing, the e-shape barre at fret 6 shape is the gentlest start.

Keys and progressions with C♯11

C♯11 belongs to 3 keys: V in F♯ major, VII in E♭ minor, V7 in F♯ minor. In F♯ major, try I–V–vi–IV: F♯ – C♯11 – D♯m – B.

Common questions

What notes are in C♯11?

C♯, E♯, G♯, B, D♯, F♯: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth, eleventh.

What is the easiest way to play C♯11?

E-shape barre at fret 6: 966(10)77 (low string first), rated Hard.

What is the difference between C♯11 and C♯9?

C♯11 has F♯. C♯11 sounds thick and open; C♯9 sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour.

Is C♯11 a hard chord?

It needs a barre in every shape, so it takes some practice. Start with the e-shape barre at fret 6 shape, rated Hard.

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