As the VB major
- ii7C♯m7
- V11F♯11
- Imaj7Bmaj7
F♯11 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
F♯11 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♯11 chord is a dominant eleventh chord built on the root note F♯. Its notes are F♯, C♯, E, G♯ and B. 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
- F♯ · C♯ · E · G♯ · B
- Formula
- 1 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11
- Semitones
- 0 · 7 · 10 · 14 · 17
- Note
- F♯
- Quality
- Dominant 11
- Symbol
- F♯11
F♯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 F♯11 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♯, index finger on C♯, 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 F♯, C♯ and G♯ are black keys and E and B are white. 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.
- F♯1
- C♯5
- E♭7
- G♯9
- B11
F♯11 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♯11 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 1 rings open.
F♯ · C♯ · E · G♯ · B
Play F♯11 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♯11 chord notes
Also known as G♭11
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♯(F#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♯(C#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | E | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | G♯(G#) | |
| 11 | Perfect eleventh | 17 | B |
How to use the F♯11 chord
The F♯11 chord is built from a root, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a perfect eleventh. Start at the root F♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♯, C♯, E, G♯ and B. 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 F♯11 differs from similar chords
F♯11 stacks a ninth and an eleventh on F♯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 F♯7sus4 with a ninth. It differs from F♯13, which keeps the third and adds the sixth an octave up.
Where F♯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 F♯11 chord?
- The F♯11 chord contains F♯, C♯, E, G♯ and B (F#, C#, E, G# and B in plain text).
- Is the F♯11 chord major or minor?
- F♯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 F♯11 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♯, C♯, E, G♯ and B 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♯, C♯ and G♯ are black keys and E and B are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play F♯11 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 1 rings open.
- What is another name for the F♯11 chord?
- F♯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.