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 D♭, middle finger on E♭, ring finger on G♭ and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of A♭11 is a black key. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♭1
- D♭11
- E♭5
- G♭♭7
- B♭9
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 at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
A♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭
Play A♭11 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
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.
How A♭11 differs from similar chords
A♭11 stacks a ninth and an eleventh on A♭7, and the eleventh is the same note as the fourth. Because that fourth clashes with the major third, the third is left out, so the chord sounds close to A♭7sus4 with a ninth. It differs from A♭13, which keeps the third and adds the sixth an octave up.
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. On the keyboard every note of A♭11 is a black key. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♭11 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- 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.