E minor eleventh
How to play Em11 — Minor eleventh
Em11 (Minor eleventh)E · G · B · D · F♯ · A
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
E minor eleventh — notes and structure
The Em11 chord extends the minor chord through the eleventh — open and modal.
The Em11 minor eleventh consists of the notes E, G, B, D, F♯, A. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7–9–11 — 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.
Em11 stacks a minor third (G), a perfect fifth (B), a minor seventh (D), a ninth (F♯) and an eleventh (A) above the root E.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Em11 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is Em11 in?
Every note of Em11 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- G major — the vi chord
- D major — the ii chord
- E minor — the i chord
- B minor — the iv chord
Chords that go with Em11
In G major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Em11 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the E minor eleventh chord?
- The Em11 chord contains the notes E, G, B, D, F♯, A. It extends the minor chord through the eleventh — open and modal.
- How many ways can you play Em11 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Em11 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Em11 belong to?
- Em11 fits G major (where it is the vi chord), D major (where it is the ii chord), E minor (where it is the i chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.