As the VC♭ major
- ii7D♭m7
- V11G♭11
- Imaj7C♭maj7
G♭11 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
G♭11 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The G♭11 chord is a dominant eleventh chord built on the root note G♭. Its notes are G♭, D♭, F♭, A♭ and C♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as F♯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
- G♭ · D♭ · F♭ · A♭ · C♭
- Formula
- 1 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11
- Semitones
- 0 · 7 · 10 · 14 · 17
- Note
- G♭
- Quality
- Dominant 11
- Symbol
- G♭11
G♭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 G♭11 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G♭, index finger on D♭, middle finger on F♭, ring finger on A♭ and little finger on C♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♭, D♭ and A♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B. 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.
- G♭1
- D♭5
- F♭♭7
- A♭9
- C♭11
G♭11 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, G♭11 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 1 rings open.
G♭ · D♭ · F♭ · A♭ · C♭
Play G♭11 on the online piano
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G♭11 chord notes
Also known as F♯11
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | D♭(Db) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 11 | Perfect eleventh | 17 | C♭(Cb) |
How to use the G♭11 chord
The G♭11 chord is built from a root, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a perfect eleventh. Start at the root G♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G♭, D♭, F♭, A♭ and C♭. 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 G♭11 differs from similar chords
G♭11 stacks a ninth and an eleventh on G♭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 G♭7sus4 with a ninth. It differs from G♭13, which keeps the third and adds the sixth an octave up.
Where G♭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 G♭11 chord?
- The G♭11 chord contains G♭, D♭, F♭, A♭ and C♭ (Gb, Db, Fb, Ab and Cb in plain text).
- Is the G♭11 chord major or minor?
- G♭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 G♭11 on piano?
- Place your fingers on G♭, D♭, F♭, A♭ and C♭ 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♭, D♭ and A♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play G♭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 G♭11 chord?
- G♭11 is enharmonically equivalent to F♯11. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.