What notes are in C#11?

C#11 contains C# · G# · B · D# · F#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.

Why is the third usually omitted from an 11 chord?

Because the eleventh is a semitone above the major third and the two clash. Removing the third leaves a clean, open sound.

Is an 11 chord the same as a 9sus4?

Voiced without the third, effectively yes — which is why many charts write the sus form instead.

What notes are in the C# Eleventh chord?

The C# Eleventh chord contains the notes C# · G# · B · D# · F#: the root C# with the intervals 1P, 5P, 7m, 9M, 11P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally C#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.

What intervals make up the C# Eleventh chord?

Measured from C#, the C# Eleventh chord stacks the intervals 1P, 5P, 7m, 9M, 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.

C# Eleventh Chord (C#11): Notes, Piano & Guitar

Play it on your instrument

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Voicings on the piano

Voicing	Notes	Play it on your instrument
Closed, root position	C#3 · G#3 · B3 · D#4 · F#4
Open (drop 2)	C#3 · D#3 · G#3 · B3 · F#4
Rootless	B3 · D#4 · F#4

Tap a key or a fret to hear it.

Anatomy

C# Eleventh (C#11) contains the notes C# · G# · B · D# · F#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.

Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions

Inversions

An inversion of C# Eleventh puts a chord tone other than C# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.

Where it lives

The keys and the scales C# Eleventh belongs to.

In which keys

C# Eleventh is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.

E majorVI11Tonic
C# minorI11Tonic
B majorII11Subdominant
G# minorIV11Subdominant
F# majorV11Dominant
D# minorVII11Subdominant

Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.

Scales that contain it

C# Eleventh fits inside these scales, each built on C#.

C# MinorC# · D# · E · F# · G# · A · B
C# DorianC# · D# · E · F# · G# · A# · B
C# MixolydianC# · D# · E# · F# · G# · A# · B
C# PiongioC# · D# · F# · G# · A# · B
C# Mixolydian b6C# · D# · E# · F# · G# · A · B
C# BebopC# · D# · E# · F# · G# · A# · B · B#
C# Bebop MinorC# · D# · E · E# · F# · G# · A# · B
C# Minor BebopC# · D# · E · F# · G# · A · B · B#

Related chords

Chords that share most of their notes with C# Eleventh: simpler and richer stacks of the same notes, and the substitutes a chart would accept.

Simpler

C#7sus4C# · F# · G# · B
C#sus24C# · D# · F# · G#
C#sus4C# · F# · G#
C#sus2C# · D# · G#
C#5C# · G#

Richer

C#m11C# · E · G# · B · D# · F#
C#13sus4C# · F# · G# · B · D# · A#

Eleventh on every root

C11 Db11 D11 D#11 Eb11 E11 F11 F#11 Gb11 G11 G#11 Ab11 A11 A#11 Bb11 B11

Open it in a tool

Understanding the C# Eleventh chord

Names and symbols

C#11 is the chord symbol for C# Eleventh.

C# Eleventh and Db Eleventh are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. Db Eleventh

How it is built

On C# it is C# · G# · B · D# · F#, stacking 1P · 5P · 7m · 9M · 11P. In full it contains six notes, which is more than most textures want.

How it is used

The eleventh sits a semitone above the major third, so the two clash. In practice the third is dropped, at which point the chord is effectively a 9sus4 — which is how most players voice it and how most charts intend it.

Learn this properly

Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and Sevenths

Common questions

What notes are in C#11?: C#11 contains C# · G# · B · D# · F#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
Why is the third usually omitted from an 11 chord?: Because the eleventh is a semitone above the major third and the two clash. Removing the third leaves a clean, open sound.
Is an 11 chord the same as a 9sus4?: Voiced without the third, effectively yes — which is why many charts write the sus form instead.
What notes are in the C# Eleventh chord?: The C# Eleventh chord contains the notes C# · G# · B · D# · F#: the root C# with the intervals 1P, 5P, 7m, 9M, 11P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally C#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
What intervals make up the C# Eleventh chord?: Measured from C#, the C# Eleventh chord stacks the intervals 1P, 5P, 7m, 9M, 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.