E9 pedal steel chord
A♭maj11 on pedal steel
A♭ major 11th (A-flat major 11th, Abmaj11) · also written G♯maj11 · 224 voicings on standard E9
Easiest A♭maj11 on E9 pedal steel: bar on fret 4, press B pedal + E→E♭ lever + F♯ & D♯ raise lever, pick strings 1, 2, 3 & 4 (C–A♭–D♭–G).
- A♭, root
- C, 3rd
- E♭, 5th
- G, 7th
- B♭, 9th
- D♭, 11th
Where you’ll hear it: A rich major chord with the 11th, heard mostly in jazz and modern worship music.
Start here: the grip to learn first
Every move is described by what it does to the strings, so these work on any E9 guitar. If your levers are wired differently, use the one that makes the same change.
A♭maj11 is a tricky chord on E9 — no complete grip uses only the changes every guitar has, so each grip says what it needs. Many players reach for the C6 neck for chords like this.
Fret 4 · B pedal + E→E♭ lever + F♯→G♯ + D♯→E lever
Knee lever- Bar on fret 4 (or 16)
- Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
- Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
- Push a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
- Pick strings 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 — C A♭ D♭ G
- Needs a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.
More grips up the neck
High neck · frets 10–17
Fret 16 · B pedal + E→E♭ lever + F♯→G♯ + D♯→E lever
- Bar on fret 16 (or 4)
- Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
- Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
- Push a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
- Pick strings 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — C A♭ D♭ G E♭
- Needs a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.
Is your guitar set up differently?
Players wire their knee levers in different places, so this page names every change by what it does. Find the pedal or lever on your guitar that makes the same change — the name on yours doesn’t matter.
| Change | What it does · usually found |
|---|---|
| B pedalG♯→A | Raises your G♯ strings (3 & 6) a half step to A.Usually: the B pedal on almost every E9 guitar |
| E→E♭ leverE→E♭ | Lowers your E strings (4 & 8) a half step to E♭.Usually: left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars |
| F♯ & D♯ raise leverF♯→G♯ + D♯→E + G♯→F♯ | Raises string 1 (F♯) a whole step to G♯ and string 2 (D♯) a half step to E, and lowers string 6 (G♯) a whole step to F♯.Usually: right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitarsNot on every guitarOlder and student guitars often raise strings 1 & 7 F♯→G instead, and some players keep the 6th-string lower on another lever. |
Pick your setup in Pedal Steel Atlas (it's free) — one of the built-in copedents, or your own exact one — and it re-voices every chord for your pedals and levers — open A♭maj11 in the app → or compare common setups.
How to read the diagrams
- Diamond = the root (the note the chord is named after). Other notes are colored by their job in the chord, like the chips above.
- Blue string = a pedal or lever changes it. The label on the left shows the new note (E→F).
- Dashed line = the bar. Lay the steel directly over that fret, not between frets.
- Colored pedal or lever = press it. String 1 is the one farthest from you; string 10 is nearest.
Keep exploring
Pedal Steel Atlas
Every A♭maj11 voicing — on your guitar
- Your setup. Pick a built-in copedent — or build your exact one, free — and every chord re-voices for your guitar.
- Real steel tone. Hear every grip and the pedal moves between them.
- Find the one you need. Filter by top note, bass string, or the changes you want to avoid.
- From chord to tab. Drop any grip into a tab and play it back.