C seventh, sharp eleventh
How to play C7♯11 — Seventh, sharp eleventh
C7♯11 (Seventh, sharp eleventh)C · E · G · B♭ · F♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
C seventh, sharp eleventh — notes and structure
The C7♯11 chord is a dominant seventh with a raised eleventh — the bright, edgy "Lydian dominant" colour.
The C7♯11 seventh, sharp eleventh consists of the notes C, E, G, B♭, F♯. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7–11 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
C7♯11 stacks a major third (E), a perfect fifth (G), a minor seventh (B♭) and a raised eleventh (F♯) above the root C.
The finder shows 2 ways to play C7♯11 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 9th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C seventh, sharp eleventh chord?
- The C7♯11 chord contains the notes C, E, G, B♭, F♯. It is a dominant seventh with a raised eleventh — the bright, edgy "Lydian dominant" colour.
- How many ways can you play C7♯11 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is C7♯11 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.