I've just downloaded a song to learn (Lady Be Good) and it contains a lot of "11th" chords, which I'm not familiar with.
I've think I've worked out that a C11 is CEGBbDF …. so a C79 with a F suspended 4th added. However some sources say that you should delete the E. Can someone please confirm?
TIA
Lady be Good is a Jazz Classic, and so the 11th chord generally indicates that the basic triad is formed (C, E, G) but also usually includes a seventh and a ninth. A C11 has a dominant note of F (the F making the 11th).
In some ways it is similar to a Csus chord, except the 4th is usually raised by a full octave to the 11th position.
In BiaB a C9sus is considered as an equivalent C11 chord (although this is not absolutely technically correct).
Technically a C11 is as you indicated,C-E-G-Bb-D-F. Many eliminate the E to avoid dissonance, however that is an option and not a rule. Thus playing it either way is legal.
PS - it really depends on your ear and the melody. Sometimes having the E sounds good and sometimes it doesn't. YMMV
Having played that song for many years, I don't think a C11 is in that song. Are you sure that the chord wasn't written as C-11, Cm11 or C11+?
Unless you're playing say a Jacob Collier version.
In BiaB a C9sus is considered as an equivalent C11 chord (although this is not absolutely technically correct).
This can be set in Options, Preferences, Display as to which you prefer to see.
As Mario noted, the 3rd against the 11th is a half-step dissonance - the 11th is the 4th scale degree.
So the 3rd degree is typically dropped from the 11th chord.
Instead of notating an 11th chord as an 11th such as C11, you'll often see it written as Gm7/C.
The chord is functionally the same as an 11th chord without the 3rd.
Using this notation ensures that the musician won't add the 3rd by mistake. Plus, it's a lot easier for the guitarist to figure out - they can leave the bass note out of the m7 chord, as long as the bass is playing it.
The same thing goes when voicing the 11th for a 4 part horn section - the horns play the m7, and with the root in the bass, you get a 11th chord.
Thanks everyone for your responses. Ray, I'm not sure whose arrangement it is, I just downloaded it; basically chords and a simple melody. I'll check the chords again, but I'm sure they are 11ths, not -11 or 11+
Hmm C E G Bb D F .... maybe the other reason for dropping the E is because we only have five fingers .....
Hmm C E G Bb D F .... maybe the other reason for dropping the E is because we only have five fingers .....
Some piano players have more, Oscar Peterson had at least 23
Keith,
I'm a bit late to this thread.
I've just looked up my books on classical harmony and the reason that the third is often omitted is because it's the note that the 11th usually resolves to.
In BIAB, I always think of the 11th as 9sus4. I often notate it as that. If that doesn't sound good, though, because not all RTs have this chord, I will then use either Gm7/C or Bb/C (for C11 as an example).
Regards,
Noel
I really like the Gm7/C option. As I'm not used to C11, on the fly it's hard to get my hands and head around it quick enough.
I don't know it, never played it but I just found it in Real Book II. All it is is a basic 1-4-5. Of course it can be jazzed up if you want but I just listened to a few versions of it and all I hear is mostly triads with a few 2-5's thrown in. Very simple, it's just another three chord blues.
This is a good discussion about an 11th chord but it's not in Lady Be Good.
Bob
I must admit that when I saw the title of this post I wondered just how many string instrument (guitar) players play eleven string instruments so they can play 11th chords. 