G7#11 — G dominant seventh sharp eleventh chord

A dominant seventh chord with the eleventh raised. The sharp eleventh is a tritone above the root, which is why the chord is stable enough to hold: the usual clash between the third and the eleventh is gone.

1 = G
3 = B
5 = D
b7 = F
#11 = C#

Symbol: G7#11
Root: G
Quality: Dominant seventh sharp eleventh
Family: altered
Notes: G B D F C#
Degree formula: 1 3 5 b7 #11
Semitones from the root: 0 4 6 7 10
Distinct pitch classes: 5
Interval structure: Stacked from the root: 4 semitones, 3 semitones, 3 semitones, 8 semitones
Notation: Written 7#11. A lydian dominant colour, common as the dominant of a chord a fifth below and in tritone substitutions.
Key: G · G major / E minor key signature

G7#11 chord fingering chart, six strings, frets marked — G7#11 — fingering chart Diagram: Will Chan

Formula

The chord tones in order from the root, with the interval each one forms above it.

Degree	Note	Semitones	Interval from the root
1	G	0	Perfect unison
3	B	4	Major third
5	D	7	Perfect fifth
b7	F	10	Minor seventh
#11	C#	6	Tritone

Inversions

An inversion is the same set of notes with a different one in the bass. The last column gives the distance of each note above the bass note, in semitones.

Inversion	Bass note	Degree in the bass	Notes above the bass	Semitones above the bass
root position	G	1	G – B – D – F – C#	0 4 7 10 6
first inversion	B	3	B – D – F – C# – G	0 3 6 2 8
second inversion	D	5	D – F – C# – G – B	0 3 11 5 9
third inversion	F	b7	F – C# – G – B – D	0 8 2 6 9
fourth inversion	C#	#11	C# – G – B – D – F	0 6 10 1 4

Inversion

Bass note

Degree in the bass

Notes above the bass

Semitones above the bass

root position

G – B – D – F – C#

0 4 7 10 6

first inversion

B – D – F – C# – G

0 3 6 2 8

second inversion

D – F – C# – G – B

0 3 11 5 9

third inversion

F – C# – G – B – D

0 8 2 6 9

fourth inversion

#11

C# – G – B – D – F

0 6 10 1 4

Playable voicings

These shapes were found by searching the fretboard of a standard-tuned guitar (E A D G B E) rather than copied from a chord book. The search allows every string to sound or to be muted, rejects any shape with a muted string between two sounding strings, rejects any shape whose fretted notes span more than four frets (a five-fret window), requires every chord tone to be present, and then sorts what remains with root-position shapes first and the most compact, lowest shapes next. The shapes shown are the first six of that ordering; other orderings are possible at the same frets.

#	Shape (low string first)	Notes	Degrees	Bass	Span (frets)	Sounding strings
1	3-4-3-4-3-3 (6→1)	G C# F B D G	1 #11 b7 3 5 1	G	1	6
2	3-2-0-0-2-1 (6→1)	G B D G C# F	1 3 5 1 #11 b7	G	3	6
3	3-4-3-4-3-1 (6→1)	G C# F B D F	1 #11 b7 3 5 b7	G	3	6
4	3-5-3-4-2-3 (6→1)	G D F B C# G	1 5 b7 3 #11 1	G	3	6
5	15-14-12-12-14-13 (6→1)	G B D G C# F	1 3 5 1 #11 b7	G	3	6
6	3-4-0-0-0-1 (6→1)	G C# D G B F	1 #11 5 1 3 b7	G	4	6

Shape numbers run from the lowest string to the highest, so the left-hand number is the sixth string (low E) in standard tuning. Multiple shapes are listed because a chord can be voiced several ways, and because a lower position is not always the better sounding one.

Related chords and scales

KeyEverything in Gscale, chords and neck map for this root
ScaleG lydian dominantthe scale this chord comes from
ChordG7♭9the dominant seventh flat ninth it extends
ChordGthe triad underneath it
ChordG7the seventh chord on this root

Everything in G · All chords

KeyKey of GG A B C D E F# · G major / E minor
ScaleG lydian dominant7 notes · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7
ChordG7♭9 — Dominant seventh flat ninth1 3 5 b7 b9 · G B D F Ab
ChordG — Major1 3 5 · G B D
ChordG7 — Dominant seventh1 3 5 b7 · G B D F
ChordG7b5 — Dominant seventh flat five1 3 b5 b7 · G B Db F
ChordG7♭5#9 — Dominant seventh flat fifth sharp ninth1 3 b5 b7 #9 · G B Db F A#
ChordG7#5 — Dominant seventh sharp fifth1 3 #5 b7 · G B D# F

Everything in this key: G · Chords · Theory Atlas