As the VE major
- ii7F♯m7
- V11B11
- Imaj7Emaj7
B11 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
B11 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B11 chord is a dominant eleventh chord built on the root note B. Its notes are B, F♯, A, C♯ and E.
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
- B · F♯ · A · C♯ · E
- Formula
- 1 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11
- Semitones
- 0 · 7 · 10 · 14 · 17
- Note
- B
- Quality
- Dominant 11
- Symbol
- B11
B11 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play B11 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B, index finger on C♯, middle finger on E, ring finger on F♯ and little finger on A. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ and C♯ are black keys and B, A and E are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B1
- C♯9
- E11
- F♯5
- A♭7
B11 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B11 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
B · F♯ · A · C♯ · E
Try B11 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
B11 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F♯(F#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | A | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | C♯(C#) | |
| 11 | Perfect eleventh | 17 | E |
How to use the B11 chord
The B11 chord is built from a root, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a perfect eleventh. Start at the root B and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B, F♯, A, C♯ and E. 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 B11 differs from similar chords
B11 stacks a ninth and an eleventh on B7, 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 B7sus4 with a ninth. It differs from B13, which keeps the third and adds the sixth an octave up.
Where B11 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 B11 chord?
- The B11 chord contains B, F♯, A, C♯ and E (B, F#, A, C# and E in plain text).
- Is the B11 chord major or minor?
- B11 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 B11 on piano?
- Place your fingers on B, F♯, A, C♯ and E 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 F♯ and C♯ are black keys and B, A and E are white.
- How do you play B11 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with B11?
- B11 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.