About the B flat eleven chord
B flat eleven is used in A flat Major, where every note it holds is a scale tone. Think of it as a B♭ dominant eleventh chord.
Its notes are B♭, F, A♭, C, and E♭. The intervals are a perfect fifth, a minor seventh, a major ninth, and a perfect eleventh.
Also called A sharp eleven, which spells the same notes enharmonically.
Inversions
B flat eleven (root position)
Notes and intervals
| 1 | BbB♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | FF | Perfect 5th |
| 3 | AbA♭ | Minor 7th |
| 4 | CC | Major 9th |
| 5 | EbE♭ | Perfect 11th |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Other B flat chords
Simpler triads
Suspended
Sixths and sevenths
Extensions
Altered
Functional relationships
These chords are where this one most naturally comes from and resolves to inside a key.
Relative minor
The relative minor uses the same notes and key signature, so it works as a calmer, darker home base.
Parallel minor
The parallel minor keeps the same root note but lowers the third, giving the same key a darker, sadder sound.
Dominant
The dominant is a fifth above the root, and it builds tension that pulls strongly back to this chord.
Subdominant
The subdominant is a fourth above the root (a fifth below), and it usually leads on to the dominant or back home.
Tritone substitution
The tritone substitution stands in for this chord's dominant with a dominant seventh a half step above the root, which slides down by a half step to resolve here.
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