Understand and Play the B7(#11) Chord for Guitar

B 7(#11) position 1 guitar chord diagram

The B7(#11) chord, also read as B seventh sharp eleven, is spelled B, D#, F#, A and E#: a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a sharp eleventh. Its natural fifth F# stays in the chord, so it is a full dominant seventh with a raised eleventh on top, not a flat five chord.

Between fret 6 and fret 8, this page holds one voicing, and it uses no open string. For melodies, reach for the B Lydian Dominant scale: it is the fourth mode of the melodic minor scale, and it holds all five chord tones.

Hear B7(#11) as a strum and as an arpeggio on the interactive fretboard at the top, one string at a time.

B 7th with sharp 11th guitar chord is also written as B7(#11), B7#11 or B7+11.

Notes in the B 7(#11) chord:

B D# F# A E#

Chord Structure:

Formula: 1 3 5 b7 #11

B 7(#11) Chord Interactive Fretboard

Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

B 7(#11) Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 6 of the B string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the G string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 7(#11) | D 7(#11) | E 7(#11) | F 7(#11) | G 7(#11) | A 7(#11) | B 7(#11) | C#7(#11) | D#7(#11) | F#7(#11) | G#7(#11) | A#7(#11) | Ab7(#11) | Bb7(#11) | Db7(#11) | Eb7(#11) | Gb7(#11)

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

Which notes are in B7(#11)?

B, D#, F#, A and E#. The first four form a B seventh chord, and E# is the sharp eleventh, which sounds like F natural.

Why is the sharp eleventh in B7(#11) written E#?

The eleventh higher than B takes the letter E. The natural eleventh is E, and raising it by a half step gives E#. Writing F would hide that it is an eleventh.

Which scale suits the B seventh sharp eleven chord?

The B Lydian Dominant scale: B, C#, D#, E#, F#, G# and A. It contains all five chord tones and is the fourth mode of F# melodic minor.

How many voicings does B7(#11) have?

One voicing is listed, from the sixth fret to the eighth fret. It uses no open strings and is not a barre voicing.

How does B7(#11) differ from a plain B7?

A plain B7 has B, D#, F# and A. B7(#11) adds E#, which lies a half step lower than the fifth F# one octave up and brightens the dominant sound.