G sharp eleventh (G#11) chord on guitar
- Notes
- G♯B♯D♯F♯A♯C♯ (B♯: left out in practice)
- Formula
- 135♭7911
How to play G#11 on guitar
-
Shape 1 · fret 4 · barre
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Shape 2 · fret 1 · barre
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Shape 3 · fret 11 · barre
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Shape 4 · fret 6
no 5th (D♯)
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Shape 5 · fret 8 · barre
no 5th (D♯)
None of the G#11 shapes plays the 3rd (B♯): it clashes with the 11th, so in practice it is left out. Some shapes leave out: 5th (D♯). 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 (G sharp). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.
G#11 inversions on guitar
The same G#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.
5th (D♯) in the bass2nd inversion · G#11/D#
5th (D♯) in the bass2nd inversion · G#11/D#
7th (F♯) in the bass3rd inversion · G#11/F#
7th (F♯) in the bass3rd inversion · G#11/F#
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 G#11
G#11 (G sharp eleventh) is built from 6 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:
- G♯ · 1 · root
- B♯ · 3 · major third
- D♯ · 5 · perfect fifth
- F♯ · ♭7 · minor seventh
- A♯ · 9 · ninth
- C♯ · 11 · eleventh
Other G sharp chords
- G#
- G#m
- G#7
- G#7M
- G#m7
- G#m7(b5)
- G#°
- G#°7
- G#+
- G#sus2
- G#sus4
- G#7sus4
- G#5
- G#add9
- G#6
- G#m6
- G#9
- G#m(add9)
- G#m9
- G#7M(9)
- G#m(7M)
- G#7M(#5)
- G#7(b9)
- G#6(9)
- G#m6(9)
- G#11
- G#m11
- G#13
- G#m13
- G#7(#9)
- G#7(#11)
- G#7(b13)
- G#7(#5)
- G#7M(#11)
- G#9sus4
Eleventh: other roots
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the G#11 chord on guitar?
G#11 (G sharp 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 G#11?
The notes of G#11 are G♯, B♯, D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 11: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth, eleventh.
What does G#11 mean?
G#11 is the chord symbol for G sharp 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.