D Minor 11th (Dm11)

1+b3+5+b7+9+11
DFACEG
4 4
Download MIDI

Notes in D Minor 11th

D (root)FACEG

Inversions

Same notes as D Minor 11th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

D in the bass

DFACEG

1st inversion

F in the bass

FACEGD

2nd inversion

A in the bass

ACEGDF

3rd inversion

C in the bass

CEGDFA

4th inversion

E in the bass

EGDFAC

5th inversion

G in the bass

GDFACE

Open voicings

A close-position chord like D Minor 11th can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

D on the bottom

DEFACG

Drop 3

C on the bottom

CDFAEG

Press D, F, A, C, E and G together on the keyboard and you're playing D Minor 11th.

A minor ninth chord extended with an eleventh blends far more naturally than its dominant cousin, since the eleventh doesn't clash with a minor third the way it does against a major one. The result is smooth and spacious, a regular fixture in jazz, neo-soul and ambient writing.

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any key on the diagram above to hear that single note.