B flat seventh sharp eleven (Bb7(#11)) chord on guitar
- Notes
- B♭DFA♭E
- Formula
- 135♭7♯11
How to play Bb7(#11) on guitar
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Shape 1 · 1st position
no 5th (F)
-
Shape 2 · fret 6 · barre
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Shape 3 · fret 3 · barre
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Shape 4 · fret 8
no 5th (F)
Some shapes leave out: 5th (F). The caption of each one says what is missing. The 5th is the first to go: it barely changes the sound of the chord.
Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.
Bb7(#11) inversions on guitar
The same Bb7(#11) with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb7(#11)/D
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb7(#11)/D
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb7(#11)/F
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb7(#11)/F
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb7(#11)/Ab
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb7(#11)/Ab
About the seventh sharp eleven chord
A dominant chord with a sharp eleventh: the sound of the Lydian dominant scale (called the nordestina scale in Brazil), with the ♯11 adding a "floating" brightness to the dominant tension. Common in jazz and bossa nova, especially on the tritone substitute (the ♭II7 that resolves to I).
Notes and intervals of Bb7(#11)
Bb7(#11) (B flat seventh sharp eleven) is built from 5 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:
- B♭ · 1 · root
- D · 3 · major third
- F · 5 · perfect fifth
- A♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh
- E · ♯11 · sharp eleventh
Other B flat chords
- Bb
- Bbm
- Bb7
- Bb7M
- Bbm7
- Bbm7(b5)
- Bb°
- Bb°7
- Bb+
- Bbsus2
- Bbsus4
- Bb7sus4
- Bb5
- Bbadd9
- Bb6
- Bbm6
- Bb9
- Bbm(add9)
- Bbm9
- Bb7M(9)
- Bbm(7M)
- Bb7M(#5)
- Bb7(b9)
- Bb6(9)
- Bbm6(9)
- Bb11
- Bbm11
- Bb13
- Bbm13
- Bb7(#9)
- Bb7(#11)
- Bb7(b13)
- Bb7(#5)
- Bb7M(#11)
- Bb9sus4
Seventh sharp eleven: other roots
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the Bb7(#11) chord on guitar?
Bb7(#11) (B flat seventh sharp eleven) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.
What notes are in Bb7(#11)?
The notes of Bb7(#11) are B♭, D, F, A♭, E. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯11: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, sharp eleventh.
What does Bb7(#11) mean?
Bb7(#11) is the chord symbol for B flat seventh sharp eleven. A dominant chord with a sharp eleventh: the sound of the Lydian dominant scale (called the nordestina scale in Brazil), with the ♯11 adding a "floating" brightness to the dominant tension. Common in jazz and bossa nova, especially on the tritone substitute (the ♭II7 that resolves to I).