Scale degrees · B♭ major

The 11 of B♭ is E♭

The 11 (eleven) of B♭ (B flat, Bb) is E♭ (E flat): a perfect eleventh above the root.

B♭ — the root, 1E♭ — the 11

How to find it

An 11th is a 4th an octave up, so it takes the 4th's letter: B, C, D, E.

Then the sound: a perfect eleventh is 17 semitones above B♭, and the E that is 17 semitones up is E♭.

That is why it is E♭ and not D♯: D♯ is the same key on the piano, but from B♭ it would be a 10th, not an 11th.

Where you meet it

The 11 is the 4 an octave up. It sits naturally on minor chords; on a major chord it clashes with the 3rd, which is why the ♯11 exists.

In B♭m11:

B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭ · C · E♭

The 11 in every key

KeyThe 11
CF
GC
DG
AD
EA
BE
F♯B
D♭G♭
A♭D♭
E♭A♭
B♭E♭
FB♭

Every degree of B♭

Free on iPhone and Android

Name it before
you can count it.

Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.

Or try the 60-second test in your browser