Shape characteristics
Partial barre
One finger presses two strings at the same fret. A lighter, less tiring grip than a full barre while still being fully movable.
Mid-neck · fret 5-6
Balanced tone, with neither the ringing openness of first position nor the bright snap of the upper register. Common choice for rhythm work when you want a fuller, more compact sound.
Five-string voicing
One string muted. Keeps a full low end without overlapping awkwardly with a bassist or second guitar.
Bass: D · Top: A
An extended chord tone is in the bass, giving the voicing a distinctive colour beyond the standard inversions.
Compared to Shape aa09a9 , this voicing uses an open chord and sits higher on the neck (starting at fret 9) and adds 1 more ringing string for a fuller sound.
How to play this shape
- 1 Place the 1st finger on the 5th fret of the 1st string, 2nd string, 4th string, and 5th string in barre position
- 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 6th fret of the 3rd string
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "x55655" mean?
The sequence x55655 is a highly compact guitar chord notation. It represents the fret played on each of the 6 strings, reading left-to-right from the thickest (lowest pitch) string to the thinnest (highest pitch) string: E, A, D, G, B, e.
- x means the string is muted or skipped entirely.
- 0 means the string is played "open" (without pressing over a fret).
- 1-9 represent standard fret numbers 1 to 9.
- a, b, c... represent frets 10, 11, 12, and higher (where a=10, b=11, c=12).
Can I play this A7(add11)/D shape anywhere else?
Yes! This specific layout is just one way to voice a A7(add11)/D chord. You can find all other variations in our chord shape library for A7(add11)/D. Most guitarists choose different shapes based on whether they want a "brighter" or "deeper" sound, or which chord they are transitioning from.
Why do some strings have an 'x'?
Strings marked with an 'x' should not ring out. These notes are excluded because they don't belong to the A7(add11)/D chord or would clash with this specific voicing. You can mute these strings by lightly touching them with a finger that is already pressing a neighboring fret.
Other shapes
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