Chords
Bb m7add11
Bb · Db · F · Ab · Eb
Bb m7add11 (Bbm7add11) is a minor chord of 5 notes: Bb · Db · F · Ab · Eb.
Also written Bbm7add4
Bb m7add11
Bb · Db · F · Ab · Eb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · Ab4 · Eb5 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Ab3 · Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · Eb5 | |
| Shell | Bb3 · Db4 · Ab4 | |
| Rootless | Db3 · Ab3 · Eb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb m7add11 (Bbm7add11) contains the notes Bb · Db · F · Ab · Eb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Bb m7add11 puts a chord tone other than Bb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Bb m7add11 belongs to.
In which keys
Bb m7add11 is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
- F# majoriii7add11Tonic
- D# minorv7add11Dominant
- Db majorvi7add11Tonic
- Bb minori7add11Tonic
- Ab majorii7add11Subdominant
- F minoriv7add11Subdominant
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Bb m7add11 fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb Minor BluesBb · Db · Eb · Fb · F · Ab
- Bb MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb DorianBb · C · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb PhrygianBb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb Dorian b2Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb Spanish HeptatonicBb · Cb · Db · D · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb Bebop MinorBb · C · Db · D · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb Bebop LocrianBb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · F · Gb · Ab
Understanding the Bb m7add11 chord
Names and symbols
Bbm7add11 is the chord symbol for Bb m7add11; it is also written Bbm7add4.
Bb m7add11 and A# m7add11 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. A# m7add11
Common questions
- What notes are in the Bb m7add11 chord?
- The Bb m7add11 chord contains the notes Bb · Db · F · Ab · Eb: the root Bb with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m, 11P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Bb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Bb m7add11 chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb m7add11 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m, 11P. 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 Bb m7add11 chord?
- On guitar the most common Bb m7add11 shape is x11121, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · Ab4 · Eb5 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.