How to play Ab9#11: a dominant 9th sharp 11 built on Ab, with 1 voicing, the notes, the keys it belongs to, and songs that use it.
The first diagram is a common voicing: played at the first few frets. An X above a string means don't play it; an O means play it open.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: 4 3 4 3 3 x (x = not played).
| Note | Ab | C | Gb | Bb | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | b7 | 9 | #11 |
Ab9#11 is a dominant 9th sharp 11 with Ab as its root. The full theoretical spelling is Ab, C, Eb, Gb, Bb, D. This voicing omits the 5th, the tone guitarists drop first when fitting a chord onto six strings.
Ab9#11 is not a diatonic chord in any major or minor key: it turns up as a borrowed chord, a passing chord or an altered dominant, which is part of its color.
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Ab9#11 is spelled Ab, C, Eb, Gb, Bb, D: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th, sharp 11th. The common guitar voicing sounds Ab, C, Gb, Bb, D, leaving out the 5th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: 4 3 4 3 3 x (x means the string is not played). Lay your index finger across the 3rd fret from the A string to the B string (a barre). Add the low E and D strings at the 4th fret. Strum from the low E string down, skipping the high E string.
Ab9#11 is not a diatonic chord in any major or minor key: it turns up as a borrowed chord, a passing chord or an altered dominant, which is part of its color.
