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B♭madd11

Character: earthy

  1. B♭Rtriad
  2. D♭♭3triad
  3. F5triad
  4. E♭11add
Open B♭madd11 in the chord libraryDownload the B♭madd11 chart (PDF)
Voicings

7 ways to play B♭madd11

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

  • Triad note
  • Substitute
  • Added
  • Anchored root
  • Bass
  • Doubling
CC shape 1st inversion B♭madd11/D♭
10 11 12 13 11 R 5 ♭3

Frets x x 11 10 11 11Notes D♭ F B♭ E♭Intervals ♭3 5 1 11Base triadB♭ minor, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion B♭madd11/E♭
1 2 3 4 5 ♭3 R 11 5 R

Frets x 1 1 3 2 1Notes E♭ B♭ D♭Intervals 11 1 ♭3Base triadB♭ minor, 2nd inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

GG shape 1st inversion B♭madd11/D♭
3 4 5 6 11 R 5 ♭3

Frets x 4 3 3 4 xNotes D♭ F B♭ E♭Intervals ♭3 5 1 11Base triadB♭ minor, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 1st inversion B♭madd11/D♭
4 5 6 7 8 5 R 11 ♭3 R

Frets 6 x x 6 4 6Notes D♭ E♭ B♭Intervals ♭3 11 1Base triadB♭ minor, 1st inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape Root position B♭madd11
4 5 6 7 8 5 11 ♭3 R R 5 R

Frets 6 8 8 6 4 6Notes B♭ D♭ E♭Intervals 1 ♭3 11Base triadB♭ minor, root position

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape 1st inversion B♭madd11/D♭
6 7 8 9 11 R 5 ♭3

Frets 9 8 8 8 x xNotes D♭ F B♭ E♭Intervals ♭3 5 1 11Base triadB♭ minor, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

DD shape 2nd inversion B♭madd11/E♭
8 9 10 11 5 ♭3 R 11

Frets x x x 8 11 9Notes E♭ B♭ D♭Intervals 11 1 ♭3Base triadB♭ minor, 2nd inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

The rules

The construction rules B♭madd11 follows

  1. Start from a triad

    Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.

  2. No 7th, no stack

    6, add9, add11 and 6/9 are a triad with a colour note, not a stack. Without a 7th the chord sounds open rather than jazzy.

  3. On guitar, something has to give

    Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

Minor add 11 in every key

More chords on B♭

B♭madd11 chord questions

What notes are in B♭madd11?

B♭madd11 is spelled B♭ D♭ F E♭: B♭ is the root, D♭ is the ♭3rd, F is the 5th, E♭ is the 11th.

What is the formula of B♭madd11?

1 ♭3 5 11. It is a B♭ minor triad with the 11th stacked on top.

How many ways can you play B♭madd11 on guitar?

This page shows 7 voicings of B♭madd11, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.