Major Seventh Sharp Eleventh Chords (maj7#11) - Guitar Diagrams and Voicing

How to play a major 7#11 chord

A major 7#11 chord (major seventh sharp eleventh) also called Lydian chord or Lydian augmented chord is a basic major 7th chord with a #11 (#4) added instead of the fifth (5). The #11 can be considered as the fourth (4) sharpened in the higher octave. In a chord chart notation, Lydian indicates a major family chord with an added augmented eleventh. Altering the fifth of any major 7 chord brings a little bit of tension and adds a Lydian flavour to your playing.

The #11 extension is described as modern sounding, that's why it is more present in modern jazz tunes than in classic jazz standards. Therefore, it can be very interesting when you want to add spice to your chords in any harmonic context. Indeed, this chord can replace chord IV in major keys and even the chord I to add harmonic interest.

Chord tones are 1,3,#4, 7.

Related scale: Lydian 
Chord notation : Maj7#11 - ?7#11
Possible extensions: 9, #11, 13
Chord tones: 3rd and 7th

Related tunes

• Blue in Green (Miles Davis). The first chord is Bbmaj7#11
• The Simpson theme song. Cmaj7#11 on the first bars. 
• Joe Satriani - flying in a blue dream - Cmaj7#11
• Inner Urge - Joe Henderson 

Here are five positions to play major 7#11 chords on the guitar. 

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