The Em11 mandolin chord is built from the notes E, G, B, D, F#, A. Its first mandolin voicing is the open position: G string open; D string open; A string open; E string open. It is a minor 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 Em11 chord?
The Em11 chord is a minor 11th chord, and its notes are fixed: E, G, B, D, F#, A. 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 E, so you can see the structure of Em11 at a glance. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Em11.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| E | Root |
| G | b3 |
| B | 5 |
| D | b7 |
| F# | 9 |
| A | 11 |
The root is E, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Em11 are b3, 5, b7, 9, 11. That combination is what makes Em11 sound the way it does: the intervals decide the colour, and the root decides the pitch. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Em11 sounds warm and spacious, the sound of neo-soul, jazz and mellow R&B. 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 mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D, F#, A in Em11.
Comparing Em11 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, minor 11th against minor 9th: Em11 adds the 11th A 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 mandolin, the open position of Em11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play Em11 on mandolin
On the mandolin, Em11 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — E, G, B, D, F#, A — 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 Em11 in open position: G string open; D string open; A string open; E string open. This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 0 to fret 0, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Em11 — E, G, B, D, F#, A — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
For the barre chord, Em11 sits in around fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 5 (ring finger); E string at fret 3 (middle finger). It barres across strings 1 to 2 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 2 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 Em11 — E, G, B, D, F#, A — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play Em11 is the movable voicing, in around fret 2: G string open; D string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 5 (middle finger); E string at fret 5 (middle finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 2 to fret 5, 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 Em11 — E, G, B, D, F#, A — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Em11 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 Em11 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Em11 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Em11 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 E, G, B, D, F#, A in Em11.
A short practice routine for Em11 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above E 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 Em11 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 Em11 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.
Crowding the voicing. Six notes need space. Drop the 5th (B) first and spread the rest across octaves. On the mandolin, the open position of Em11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Losing the 11th. Without A this is just a minor 9th chord. The 11th is the note that makes it an 11th. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Em11.
Playing it too fast. Em11 is a slow chord. At a fast tempo its colour gets lost. On the mandolin, the open position of Em11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and Em11 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, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D, F#, A in Em11.
Where Em11 is used
Em11 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 C major, the key of D major, the key of G major. a minor tonic in jazz and neo-soul, richer than the minor 9th. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward A major, the key a perfect fourth above E, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Em11 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Em11.
Because Em11 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 E 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 Em11 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the open position of Em11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Em11 on guitar, Em11 on piano, Em11 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the E major scale and the E minor pentatonic scale. Learning Em11 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — E, G, B, D, F#, A — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Em11
A short worked example makes Em11 concrete. Play the four-chord progression A – E – F#m – D in A major, the key Em11 most often resolves toward: A – E – F#m – D. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Em11 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 Em11 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Em11.
For a second exercise, play Em11 and then the chord a fourth above E, 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 Em11 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Em11 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: E, G, B, D, F#, A. 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, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D, F#, A in Em11.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Em11 on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 0–0–0–0, fingers 0–0–0–0, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes E, G, B, D, F#, A, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Em11, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Em11 hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Em11 on the mandolin 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 Em11 on the mandolin?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for Em11 on the mandolin: frets 0–0–0–0, fingers 0–0–0–0. 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 Em11?
Em11 contains E, G, B, D, F#, A: 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 mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
Is Em11 major or minor?
Minor. Its 3rd is G, and the flattened 7th D keeps it mellow. The 9th and 11th add width, not brightness. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.