E minor eleventh (Em11) chord on guitar
- Notes
- EGBDF♯A
- Formula
- 1♭35♭7911
How to play Em11 on guitar
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Shape 1 · open strings
no 9th (F♯)
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Shape 2 · fret 2
no 5th (B), 9th (F♯)
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Shape 3 · fret 7 · barre
no 9th (F♯)
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Shape 4 · fret 5 · barre
no 5th (B)
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Shape 5 · fret 12 · barre
no 9th (F♯)
-
Shape 6 · fret 10 · barre
no 5th (B)
Some shapes leave out: 5th (B), 9th (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 (E). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.
Em11 inversions on guitar
The same Em11 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 (G) in the bass1st inversion · Em11/G
3rd (G) in the bass1st inversion · Em11/G
5th (B) in the bass2nd inversion · Em11/B
5th (B) in the bass2nd inversion · Em11/B
7th (D) in the bass3rd inversion · Em11/D
7th (D) in the bass3rd inversion · Em11/D
Jazz voicings
About the minor eleventh chord
A minor chord with a seventh, ninth and eleventh. In a minor chord the 11th does not clash with the 3rd (they are a whole step apart), so every note can sound. An open, modern sound, frequent in jazz, neo-soul and Brazilian popular music, where it is often written m7(11). In practice the 5th goes first, and the 9th can be left out as well.
Notes and intervals of Em11
Em11 (E minor eleventh) is built from 6 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:
- E · 1 · root
- G · ♭3 · minor third
- B · 5 · perfect fifth
- D · ♭7 · minor seventh
- F♯ · 9 · ninth
- A · 11 · eleventh
Other E chords
- E
- Em
- E7
- E7M
- Em7
- Em7(b5)
- E°
- E°7
- E+
- Esus2
- Esus4
- E7sus4
- E5
- Eadd9
- E6
- Em6
- E9
- Em(add9)
- Em9
- E7M(9)
- Em(7M)
- E7M(#5)
- E7(b9)
- E6(9)
- Em6(9)
- E11
- Em11
- E13
- Em13
- E7(#9)
- E7(#11)
- E7(b13)
- E7(#5)
- E7M(#11)
- E9sus4
Minor eleventh: other roots
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the Em11 chord on guitar?
Em11 (E minor eleventh) has 6 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 Em11?
The notes of Em11 are E, G, B, D, F♯, A. The formula is 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11: root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth, eleventh.
What does Em11 mean?
Em11 is the chord symbol for E minor eleventh. A minor chord with a seventh, ninth and eleventh. In a minor chord the 11th does not clash with the 3rd (they are a whole step apart), so every note can sound. An open, modern sound, frequent in jazz, neo-soul and Brazilian popular music, where it is often written m7(11). In practice the 5th goes first, and the 9th can be left out as well.