C♭11 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭11 chord is a dominant eleventh chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, G♭, B𝄫, D♭ and F♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as B11.
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
- C♭ · G♭ · B𝄫 · D♭ · F♭
- Formula
- 1 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11
- Semitones
- 0 · 7 · 10 · 14 · 17
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Dominant 11
- Symbol
- C♭11
C♭11 on piano
5 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♭11 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, index finger on D♭, middle finger on F♭, ring finger on G♭ and little finger on B𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♭ and D♭ are black keys and C♭, B𝄫 and F♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call B, A and E. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- D♭9
- F♭11
- G♭5
- B𝄫♭7
C♭11 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭11 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.
C♭ · G♭ · B𝄫 · D♭ · F♭
Play C♭11 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♭11 chord notes
Also known as B11
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | B𝄫(Bbb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | D♭(Db) | |
| 11 | Perfect eleventh | 17 | F♭(Fb) |
How to use the C♭11 chord
The C♭11 chord is built from a root, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a perfect eleventh. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, G♭, B𝄫, D♭ and F♭. 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 C♭11 differs from similar chords
C♭11 stacks a ninth and an eleventh on C♭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 C♭7sus4 with a ninth. It differs from C♭13, which keeps the third and adds the sixth an octave up.
Where C♭11 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key C♭11 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♭11 chord?
- The C♭11 chord contains C♭, G♭, B𝄫, D♭ and F♭ (Cb, Gb, Bbb, Db and Fb in plain text).
- Is the C♭11 chord major or minor?
- C♭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 C♭11 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, G♭, B𝄫, D♭ and F♭ 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 G♭ and D♭ are black keys and C♭, B𝄫 and F♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call B, A and E.
- How do you play C♭11 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 is another name for the C♭11 chord?
- C♭11 is enharmonically equivalent to B11. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.