Bm11 is a minor 11th chord, and on the guitar it is played from the notes B, D, F#, A, C#, E. Its first guitar voicing is the open position: low E string open; A string open; D string open; G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string open; high e string open. This page is a complete reference for it: notes and intervals, fingerings, mistakes to avoid, the keys it belongs to and a short practice routine.
What notes are in the Bm11 chord?
The Bm11 chord is a minor 11th chord, and its notes are fixed: B, D, F#, A, C#, E. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root B, so you can see the structure of Bm11 at a glance. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, A, C#, E in Bm11.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| B | Root |
| D | b3 |
| F# | 5 |
| A | b7 |
| C# | 9 |
| E | 11 |
The root is B, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Bm11 are b3, 5, b7, 9, 11. Once you know the intervals, you can build Bm11 from any root by counting the same semitone steps, which is how the chord works in every key. On the guitar, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Bm11 sounds soft and open, a minor chord with the 9th and 11th adding width without tension. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the guitar, the open position of Bm11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Comparing Bm11 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, minor 11th against minor 9th: Bm11 adds the 11th E to the minor 9th chord. The extra note widens the sound without changing the function. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the guitar, the open position of Bm11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play Bm11 on guitar
On the guitar, Bm11 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — B, D, F#, A, C#, E — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The open position is the voicing to learn if you want Bm11 in around fret 1: low E string open; A string open; D string open; G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string open; high e string open. This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 2 to fret 2, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Bm11 — B, D, F#, A, C#, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts Bm11 in around fret 1: low E string muted; A string at fret 2 (index finger); D string open; G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string at fret 2 (index finger); high e string open. It barres across strings 4 to 5 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 4 to 5 evenly at fret 2, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Bm11 — B, D, F#, A, C#, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing puts Bm11 in around fret 4: low E string at fret 7 (middle finger); A string open; D string open; G string at fret 4 (index finger); B string open; high e string open. The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 4 to fret 7, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Bm11 — B, D, F#, A, C#, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Bm11 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Bm11 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Bm11 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Bm11 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the guitar, the open position of Bm11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
A short practice routine for Bm11 on the guitar: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above B and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Guitar Chord Finder to see the diagram for Bm11 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Bm11 sound wrong on the guitar, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Playing it too fast. Bm11 is a slow chord. At a fast tempo its colour gets lost. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Bm11.
Barre collapsing on the high strings. In a barre voicing of Bm11, the high strings are the ones that buzz first, because the index finger presses hardest near the thumb. If the top notes of Bm11 sound dead, roll the barring finger slightly toward the fret and press from the arm, not from squeezing the neck. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, A, C#, E in Bm11.
Playing the major 3rd. The 3rd must stay minor (D). A major 3rd turns this into a dominant 11th. On the guitar, the open position of Bm11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Crowding the voicing. Six notes need space. Drop the 5th (F#) first and spread the rest across octaves. On the guitar, the open position of Bm11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Where Bm11 is used
Bm11 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D major, the key of G major, the key of A major. a chord for slow, open playing, where its width has room to breathe. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward E major, the key a perfect fourth above B, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Bm11 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the guitar, the open position of Bm11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Because Bm11 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain B triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Bm11 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Bm11.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Bm11 on piano, Bm11 on ukulele, Bm11 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the B major scale and the B minor pentatonic scale. Learning Bm11 on the guitar and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — B, D, F#, A, C#, E — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Bm11
A short worked example makes Bm11 concrete. Play the four-chord progression E – B – C#m – A in E major, the key Bm11 most often resolves toward: E – B – C#m – A. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Bm11 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Bm11 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, A, C#, E in Bm11.
For a second exercise, play Bm11 and then the chord a fourth above B, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Bm11 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Bm11 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: B, D, F#, A, C#, E. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Bm11.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Bm11 on the guitar?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 0–0–0–2–0–0, fingers 0–0–0–1–0–0, on the guitar. That voicing uses the notes B, D, F#, A, C#, E, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Bm11, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Bm11 hard to play on the guitar?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Bm11 on the guitar is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Bm11 on the guitar?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for Bm11 on the guitar: frets 0–0–0–2–0–0, fingers 0–0–0–1–0–0. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
What notes are in Bm11?
Bm11 contains B, D, F#, A, C#, E: root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, flattened 7th, 9th and 11th. In practice the 5th is often omitted to make room for the extensions. On the guitar, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
Is Bm11 major or minor?
Minor. Its 3rd is D, and the flattened 7th A keeps it mellow. The 9th and 11th add width, not brightness. On the guitar, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.