Major 11th Chords on Piano
The major 11th chord adds a perfect 11th to a major 9th — creating a lush, complex voicing with Lydian overtones. Like the dominant 11th, the natural 11th clashes with the major 3rd, so pianists often raise the 11th (♯11) or drop the 3rd for practical voicings.
Formula: Root – Major 3rd – Perfect 5th – Major 7th – Major 9th – Perfect 11th
Scale degrees: 1–3–5–7–9–11
Sound: Lush, complex, quartal, Lydian
Symbol: maj11, M11 (Cmaj11)
Practical voicing: With six notes and a 3rd/11th clash, practical maj11 voicings drop the 3rd or 5th. A common approach is quartal voicing (stacking 4ths): this produces the open, floating sound associated with modern jazz. Many pianists prefer Lydian chords (maj7♯11) to avoid the clash entirely.
Major 11th Chord in All 18 Keys
C Major 11th Chord
C# Major 11th Chord
Db Major 11th Chord
D Major 11th Chord
D# Major 11th Chord
Eb Major 11th Chord
E Major 11th Chord
F Major 11th Chord
F# Major 11th Chord
Gb Major 11th Chord
G Major 11th Chord
G# Major 11th Chord
Ab Major 11th Chord
A Major 11th Chord
A# Major 11th Chord
Bb Major 11th Chord
B Major 11th Chord
Cb Major 11th Chord