Chords
B Major sharp eleventh (lydian)
B · D# · F# · A# · C# · E#
B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) (Bmaj9#11) is a major chord of 6 notes: B · D# · F# · A# · C# · E#.
Also written BΔ9#11 · B^9#11
B Major sharp eleventh (lydian)
B · D# · F# · A# · C# · E#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | B3 · D#4 · F#4 · A#4 · C#5 · E#5 | |
| Open (drop 2) | B3 · C#4 · D#4 · F#4 · A#4 · E#5 | |
| Shell | B3 · D#4 · A#4 | |
| Rootless | D#3 · A#3 · C#4 · E#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) (Bmaj9#11) contains the notes B · D# · F# · A# · C# · E#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) puts a chord tone other than B in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) belongs to.
In which keys
B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) is diatonic to 2 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) fits inside these scales, each built on B.
- B LydianB · C# · D# · E# · F# · G# · A#
- B IchikosuchoB · C# · D# · E · F · F# · G# · A#
- B Messiaen's Mode #3B · C# · D · D# · E# · F# · G · A · A#
Understanding the B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) chord
Names and symbols
Bmaj9#11 is the chord symbol for B Major sharp eleventh (lydian); it is also written BΔ9#11, B^9#11.
maj7, M7, Δ7, ma7 and ^7 all mean the major seventh. A lowercase m7 is a different chord, the minor seventh, so the capital letter and the triangle are the only things keeping the two apart on a chart.
Common questions
- What notes are in the B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) chord?
- The B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) chord contains the notes B · D# · F# · A# · C# · E#: the root B with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9M, 11A stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally B, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) chord?
- Measured from B, the B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9M, 11A. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.
- How do I play the B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) chord?
- On guitar the most common B Major sharp eleventh (lydian) shape is x21321, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play B3 · D#4 · F#4 · A#4 · C#5 · E#5 with the right hand, or move the root down into the left hand and keep the rest above it. Every shape on this page plays when you press it.