To play D11 on the ukulele, you need the notes D, F#, A, C, E, G. Its first ukulele voicing is the movable voicing: G string open; C string open; E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 5 (middle finger). This guide covers the dominant 11th chord in full: what is in it, how to play it cleanly on the ukulele, where it fits musically and how to practise it.
What notes are in the D11 chord?
The D11 chord is a dominant 11th chord, and its notes are fixed: D, F#, A, C, E, G. 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 D, so you can see the structure of D11 at a glance. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in D11.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| D | Root |
| F# | 3 |
| A | 5 |
| C | b7 |
| E | 9 |
| G | 11 |
The root is D, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in D11 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 ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
D11 sounds complex but smooth, a dominant chord with an extra note that softens its edge. 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 D11 noticeably. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of D11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Comparing D11 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 11th against 9th: D11 adds the 11th G on top of the 9th E. In practice the 3rd is often left out of the voicing, because the 11th clashes with it. 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 ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes D, F#, A, C, E, G in D11.
How to play D11 on ukulele
On the ukulele, D11 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — D, F#, A, C, E, G — in a different place on the neck. There are 3 voicings listed for D11 on the ukulele; learn the first, then add the others as you need them. 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.
For the movable voicing, D11 sits in around fret 2: G string open; C string open; E string at fret 2 (index finger); A 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 D11 — D, F#, A, C, E, G — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts D11 in around fret 1: G string open; C string at fret 2 (index finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 3 (middle finger). It barres across strings 2 to 3 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 2 to 3 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 D11 — D, F#, A, C, E, G — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want D11 in around fret 3: G string at fret 5 (middle finger); C string at fret 6 (little finger); E string at fret 3 (index finger); A string at fret 5 (ring 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 D11 — D, F#, A, C, E, G — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of D11 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 D11 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of D11 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into D11 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of D11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
A short practice routine for D11 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above D 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 Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for D11 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 D11 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on D11 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of D11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Playing the 3rd and 11th together. F# and G clash badly in the same octave. In an 11th chord the 3rd is usually omitted or placed far from the 11th. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of D11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
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 ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in D11.
Playing the 11th too low. G low down sounds muddy against the root. Keep it high in the voicing. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of D11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Where D11 is used
D11 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 colour dominant for slow jazz and fusion, where its width has room to show. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward G major, the key a perfect fourth above D, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where D11 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of D11 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Because D11 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 D 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 D11 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in D11.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in D11 on guitar, D11 on piano, D11 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the D major scale and the D minor pentatonic scale. Learning D11 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — D, F#, A, C, E, G — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising D11
A short worked example makes D11 concrete. Play the four-chord progression G – D – Em – C in G major, the key D11 most often resolves toward: G – D – Em – C. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how D11 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 D11 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in D11.
For a second exercise, play D11 and then the chord a fourth above D, 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 D11 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing D11 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: D, F#, A, C, E, G. 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 ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in D11.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in D11?
D11 contains D, F#, A, C, E, G: 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 ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
Why is the 3rd often left out of D11?
The 11th G is a semitone above the major 3rd F#, 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 ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
Where is D11 used?
D11 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 ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you play D11 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the movable voicing: frets 0–0–2–5, fingers 0–0–1–2, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes D, F#, A, C, E, G, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for D11, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is D11 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of D11 on the ukulele 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.