As the VD♭ major
- ii7E♭m7
- V11A♭11
- Imaj7D♭maj7
A♭11 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
A♭11 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♭11 chord is a dominant eleventh chord built on the root note A♭. Its notes are A♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♯11.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant eleventh chords sound wide and suspended. The eleventh sits a half step above the major third that would normally anchor the chord, a clash sharp enough that the third is left out entirely and the fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh do the talking.
- Notes
- A♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11
- Semitones
- 0 · 7 · 10 · 14 · 17
- Note
- A♭
- Quality
- Dominant 11
- Symbol
- A♭11
A♭11 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♭11 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♭, index finger on E♭, middle finger on G♭, ring finger on B♭ and little finger on D♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♭1
- E♭5
- G♭♭7
- B♭9
- D♭11
A♭11 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♭11 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.
A♭11 chord notes
Also known as G♯11
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 11 | Perfect eleventh | 17 | D♭(Db) |
How to use the A♭11 chord
The A♭11 chord is built from a root, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a perfect eleventh. Start at the root A♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant eleventh chords show up in modal jazz and gospel as a suspended, unresolved colour, often standing in for a sus4 with extra shimmer on top. They work best in slow-moving vamps rather than fast cadences.
Where A♭11 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♭11 chord?
- The A♭11 chord contains A♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭ (Ab, Eb, Gb, Bb and Db in plain text).
- Is the A♭11 chord major or minor?
- A♭11 is a dominant eleventh chord. Dominant eleventh chords sound wide and suspended. The eleventh sits a half step above the major third that would normally anchor the chord, a clash sharp enough that the third is left out entirely and the fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh do the talking.
- How do you play A♭11 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.
- How do you play A♭11 on guitar?
- A♭11 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.
- What is another name for the A♭11 chord?
- A♭11 is enharmonically equivalent to G♯11. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.