Ab Dominant 11th (Ab11)

Also written as G# Dominant 11th (G# and Ab are the same key).

Download MIDI
1+3+5+b7+9+11
B#G#D#F#A#C#
4 4

Notes in Ab Dominant 11th

G# (root)B#D#F#A#C#

Inversions

Same notes as Ab Dominant 11th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

G# in the bass

B#G#D#F#A#C#

1st inversion

B# in the bass (Ab11/B#)

B#D#F#A#C#G#

2nd inversion

D# in the bass (Ab11/D#)

B#D#F#A#C#G#

3rd inversion

F# in the bass (Ab11/F#)

B#F#A#C#G#D#

4th inversion

A# in the bass (Ab11/A#)

B#A#C#G#D#F#

5th inversion

C# in the bass (Ab11/C#)

B#C#G#D#F#A#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like Ab Dominant 11th can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

G# on the bottom

B#G#A#D#F#C#

Drop 3

F# on the bottom

B#F#G#D#A#C#

Play G#, B#, D#, F#, A# and C# together and you get Ab Dominant 11th.

A dominant ninth chord extended with an eleventh, though in practice pianists often leave the third out since it sits a half step below the eleventh and the two can clash. What's left has a fuller, more suspended color than a plain dominant chord, and it turns up constantly in funk and modal jazz.

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.