The A11 mandolin chord is built from the notes A, C#, E, G, B, D. Its first mandolin voicing is the movable voicing: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 4 (ring finger); E string at fret 3 (middle finger). It is a dominant 11th chord, and this page gives you its exact notes, the fingerings that work on the mandolin, the mistakes to avoid and the progressions it appears in.
What notes are in the A11 chord?
The A11 chord is a dominant 11th chord, and its notes are fixed: A, C#, E, G, B, D. 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 A, so you can see the structure of A11 at a glance. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| A | Root |
| C# | 3 |
| E | 5 |
| G | b7 |
| B | 9 |
| D | 11 |
The root is A, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in A11 are 3, 5, b7, 9, 11. Learn those intervals rather than memorising the shape alone, because the same interval pattern transposed to another root gives you the same quality of chord anywhere. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
A11 sounds rich, jazzy and wide — the 11th adds a suspended colour on top of a dominant 7th. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of A11 noticeably. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
Comparing A11 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 11th against 9th: A11 adds the 11th D on top of the 9th B. In practice the 3rd is often left out of the voicing, because the 11th clashes with it. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
How to play A11 on mandolin
On the mandolin, A11 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — A, C#, E, G, B, D — in a different place on the neck. Start with the first voicing and get it clean before you try the movable shapes further up 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.
Another way to play A11 is the movable voicing, in around fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 4 (ring finger); E string at fret 3 (middle finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 2 to fret 4, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in A11 — A, C#, E, G, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want A11 in around fret 5: G string at fret 6 (middle finger); D string at fret 5 (index finger); A string at fret 5 (index finger); E string at fret 5 (index finger). It barres across strings 2 to 4 at fret 5 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 2 to 4 evenly at fret 5, 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 A11 — A, C#, E, G, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play A11 is the movable voicing, in around fret 3: G string at fret 6 (middle finger); D string open; A string open; E string at fret 3 (index finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 3 to fret 6, 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 A11 — A, C#, E, G, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of A11 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 A11 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of A11 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into A11 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G, B, D in A11.
A short practice routine for A11 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above A 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 Mandolin Chord Finder to see the diagram for A11 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 A11 sound wrong on the mandolin, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and A11 needs both strings of each course to sound. If one string of a pair is muted by a neighbouring finger, the chord sounds thin. Check each course separately by plucking it on its own. On the mandolin, the movable voicing of A11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Playing the 3rd and 11th together. C# and D clash badly in the same octave. In an 11th chord the 3rd is usually omitted or placed far from the 11th. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
Crowding six notes. Six notes are too many for most voicings. Drop the 5th and often the 3rd too, keeping root, 7th, 9th and 11th. On the mandolin, the movable voicing of A11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Playing the 11th too low. D low down sounds muddy against the root. Keep it high in the voicing. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
Where A11 is used
A11 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 E major, the key of A major. a V11 chord that resolves to the tonic with a suspended, open sound. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward D major, the key a perfect fourth above A, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where A11 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G, B, D in A11.
Because A11 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 A 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 A11 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in A11 on guitar, A11 on piano, A11 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the A major scale and the A minor pentatonic scale. Learning A11 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — A, C#, E, G, B, D — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising A11
A short worked example makes A11 concrete. Play the four-chord progression D – A – Bm – G in D major, the key A11 most often resolves toward: D – A – Bm – G. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how A11 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 A11 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in A11.
For a second exercise, play A11 and then the chord a fourth above A, 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 A11 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing A11 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: A, C#, E, G, B, D. 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 mandolin, the movable voicing of A11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest voicing of A11 on the mandolin?
The movable voicing is the easiest voicing listed for A11 on the mandolin: frets 2–0–4–3, fingers 1–0–3–2. 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 A11?
A11 contains A, C#, E, G, B, D: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, flattened 7th, 9th and 11th. In practice the 3rd is often omitted from the voicing, because it clashes with the 11th. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
Why is the 3rd often left out of A11?
The 11th D is a semitone above the major 3rd C#, so the two notes clash in the same octave. Leaving the 3rd out keeps the chord open and lets the 11th colour it. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
Where is A11 used?
A11 is a dominant colour in jazz and fusion, used as a V11 that resolves to the tonic. It suits slow tempos and open voicings where its width can be heard. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
How do you play A11 on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the movable voicing: frets 2–0–4–3, fingers 1–0–3–2, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes A, C#, E, G, B, D, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for A11, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.