E♭add11

Character: folky

  1. E♭Rtriad
  2. G3triad
  3. B♭5triad
  4. A♭11add
Voicings

6 ways to play E♭add11

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 E♭add11/G
3 4 5 6 11 R 5 3 R

Frets x 6 5 3 4 4Notes G B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 3 5 1 11Base triadE♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion E♭add11/A♭
6 7 8 9 5 3 R 11 5 R

Frets x 6 6 8 8 6Notes A♭ E♭ GIntervals 11 1 3Base triadE♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

GG shape 1st inversion E♭add11/G
8 9 10 11 11 R 5 3 R R

Frets 11 10 8 8 9 11Notes G B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 3 5 1 11Base triadE♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 1st inversion E♭add11/G
1 2 3 4 11 R 5 3 3 R

Frets 3 1 1 1 4 3Notes G B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 3 5 1 11Base triadE♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 1st inversion E♭add11/G
9 10 11 12 13 5 R 11 3 R

Frets 11 x x 12 9 11Notes G A♭ E♭Intervals 3 11 1Base triadE♭ major, 1st inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

DD shape 2nd inversion E♭add11/A♭
1 2 3 4 5 3 R 11

Frets x x x 1 4 3Notes A♭ E♭ GIntervals 11 1 3Base triadE♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 11th takes the 5th’s string.

The rules

The construction rules E♭add11 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.

Add 11 in every key

E♭add11 chord questions

What notes are in E♭add11?

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

What is the formula of E♭add11?

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

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

This page shows 6 voicings of E♭add11, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.