Ab Major Eleventh chord on piano

Ab Major Eleventh chord on piano

Chord composition

I V VII IX XI
Root Perfect fifth Major seventh Major ninth Perfect eleventh
Ab Eb G Bb Db

ALL ABOUT THE AB MAJOR ELEVENTH CHORD

Chord Composition

The Ab Major Eleventh chord is composed of 5 notes :

  • Ab (Root)
  • Eb (Perfect fifth)
  • G (Major seventh)
  • Bb (Major ninth)
  • Db (Perfect eleventh)

These notes form a major eleventh chord, offering maximum harmonic richness.

How to play Ab Major Eleventh on piano

The maj11 chord Ab Major Eleventh is a maj9 (1-3-5-7-9) with an added perfect eleventh.

  • Very dense: 6 theoretical notes, partial voicings mandatory
  • Lush sound: ultimate rest chord in modern jazz
  • Lydian color: evokes lydian mode if using #11 instead of 11
  • Contemporary jazz: sophisticated harmonies

Note: #11 is more often used than natural 11 to avoid clash with major third.

Common uses of Ab Major Eleventh

The maj11 chord brings ultimate richness:

  • Modern jazz: tonic chord Imaj11
  • Advanced bossa nova: maximum enrichment
  • Sophisticated neo-soul: dense harmonies

Styles

Contemporary jazz: sophisticated rest chord.

Neo-soul: maximum harmonic richness.