D♭add11 Guitar Chord — Notes, Formula & 4 Voicings (PDF)

Voicings

4 ways to play D♭add11

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

CC shape 1st inversion D♭add11/F

Frets x 4 3 1 2 2Notes F A♭ D♭ G♭Intervals 3 5 1 11Base triadD♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion D♭add11/G♭

Frets x 4 4 6 6 4Notes G♭ D♭ FIntervals 11 1 3Base triadD♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

GG shape 1st inversion D♭add11/F

Frets 9 8 6 6 7 9Notes F A♭ D♭ G♭Intervals 3 5 1 11Base triadD♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 1st inversion D♭add11/F

Frets 9 11 11 10 7 9Notes F G♭ D♭Intervals 3 11 1Base triadD♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

The rules

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.
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.
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.

What notes are in D♭add11?

D♭add11 is spelled D♭ F A♭ G♭: D♭ is the root, F is the 3rd, A♭ is the 5th, G♭ is the 11th.

What is the formula of D♭add11?

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

How many ways can you play D♭add11 on guitar?

This page shows 4 voicings of D♭add11, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.