Intervals
Perfect Eleventh
11P · 17 semitones
A perfect eleventh is an octave plus a perfect fourth — {semitones} semitones in all.
Also written P11 · 11P
Perfect Eleventh
11P · 17 semitones
On the piano, from every note
| From | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| C | C – F | |
| C# | C# – F# | |
| D | D – G | |
| Eb | Eb – Ab | |
| E | E – A | |
| F | F – Bb | |
| F# | F# – B | |
| G | G – C | |
| Ab | Ab – Db | |
| A | A – D | |
| Bb | Bb – Eb | |
| B | B – E |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
- DLetter
- ELetter
- FLetter
- GLetter
- ALetter
- BLetter
- CLetter
- DLetter
- ELetter
17 semitones
Read on: number and quality · inversion · compound intervals · consonance and dissonance
Every eleventh
A eleventh can take these qualities, one semitone apart; choose one to see the upper note move and hear the pair.
Scales that contain it
C MajorC · D · E · F · G · A · B
C MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
C Harmonic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · B
C Melodic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · A · B
C DorianC · D · Eb · F · G · A · Bb
C PhrygianC · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
C MixolydianC · D · E · F · G · A · Bb
C LocrianC · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb
C Minor PentatonicC · Eb · F · G · Bb
C Minor BluesC · Eb · F · Gb · G · Bb
C ChromaticC · Db · D · Eb · E · F · Gb · G · Ab · A · Bb · B
C Phrygian DominantC · Db · E · F · G · Ab · Bb
C Harmonic MajorC · D · E · F · G · Ab · B
In C major
- C–F
- D–G
- E–A
- G–C
- A–D
- B–E
Understanding Perfect Eleventh
Names and symbols
Perfect Eleventh is written P11, 11P: the letter is the quality, the number the size. Chord formulas on this site write the number first, as tonal does.
A compound interval is a simple interval plus an octave, and the two names are used interchangeably in chord symbols: a 9th in a chord is the 2nd of the scale an octave up, an 11th the 4th, a 13th the 6th. The compound name says the note sits above the seventh.
How it sounds
A Perfect Eleventh spans 17 semitones: C – F. It is an octave plus a perfect fourth, and compound intervals keep the quality of the simple interval inside them while losing much of its edge — the extra octave gives the two notes room to stop interfering with each other.
Open and stable, with none of the ambiguity a bare fourth has against a bass note.
How it is used
As the 11 on a minor chord it is idiomatic and warm; on a major chord it clashes with the third, which is why arrangers usually raise it to a ♯11 or drop the third entirely and write sus.
Learn this properly
Chapter 5: IntervalsCommon questions
- How many semitones is a perfect eleventh?
- A Perfect Eleventh spans 17 semitones: C – F. Count the semitones of any interval with the interval calculator.
- Why does an 11 clash on a major chord?
- The eleventh sits a semitone above the major third. Raising it to a sharp eleventh, or removing the third, resolves the collision.
- What is a compound interval?
- Any interval wider than an octave. A Perfect Eleventh is an octave plus a perfect fourth, and it keeps the character of that simple interval in a more open, less congested form.
- How do I play Perfect Eleventh?
- On guitar the handiest shape is Next string, B 1 · E 13, read as string and fret; the instrument panel draws it from any starting note with the other shapes. On the piano count 17 semitones up from any key, black keys included. Play the notes together for the harmonic form, one after the other for the melodic form.
- What is the inversion of Perfect Eleventh?
- The inversion of Perfect Eleventh is the Perfect Fifth: put the lower note an octave higher and the distance that remains is the inversion. The two always add up to an octave, 17 semitones and 7 semitones, and swap their qualities between major and minor, or keep perfect as perfect.