C eleventh (C11) chord on guitar

Notes: CEGB♭DF (E: left out in practice)
Formula: 135♭7911

How to play C11 on guitar

Shape 1 · fret 3 · barre
Shape 2 · 1st position · barre

no 5th (G)
Shape 3 · fret 8 · barre
Shape 4 · fret 5 · barre
Shape 5 · fret 10

no 5th (G)

None of the C11 shapes plays the 3rd (E): it clashes with the 11th, so in practice it is left out. Some shapes leave out: 5th (G). 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 (C). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.

C11 inversions on guitar

The same C11 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.

5th (G) in the bass2nd inversion · C11/G
5th (G) in the bass2nd inversion · C11/G
7th (B♭) in the bass3rd inversion · C11/Bb
7th (B♭) in the bass3rd inversion · C11/Bb

About the eleventh chord

In theory an eleventh chord stacks 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9 and 11. In practice the 3rd is left out: it forms a minor ninth with the 11th and the sound gets muddy. Without the 3rd, C11 has the same notes as C9sus4 (and, with the 5th gone too, it becomes B♭/C): a soft suspended dominant, common in soul, gospel, jazz and pop.

Notes and intervals of C11

C11 (C eleventh) is built from 6 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

C · 1 · root
E · 3 · major third
G · 5 · perfect fifth
B♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh
D · 9 · ninth
F · 11 · eleventh

Other C chords

Eleventh: other roots

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the C11 chord on guitar?

C11 (C eleventh) has 5 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 C11?

The notes of C11 are C, E, G, B♭, D, F. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth, eleventh.

What does C11 mean?

C11 is the chord symbol for C eleventh. In theory an eleventh chord stacks 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9 and 11. In practice the 3rd is left out: it forms a minor ninth with the 11th and the sound gets muddy. Without the 3rd, C11 has the same notes as C9sus4 (and, with the 5th gone too, it becomes B♭/C): a soft suspended dominant, common in soul, gospel, jazz and pop.

C11 on other instruments

All guitar chords