The E11 chord is a variation on the standard E Major chord and is usually found in jazz chord progressions. You can learn how to play the chord by studying the chord shape and practicing making it with your fingers on the guitar. If you are interested in playing jazz music, this is an essential guitar chord for you to know. If not, you can still find it in some rock and pop songs.

The E11 chord adds an additional note to the standard E chord that can bring a little extra color to a routine chord progression. The 11 means that in addition to the notes that make up a regular E chord, you add the sharp fourth note of the E Major scale, or A Sharp. You'll notice that this gives it a different flavor from the standard E fingering.http://www.easy-chords.com/theory/11_chords.html

Make sure the fingernails on your left hand are cut short. The shorter your fingernails are, the easier it is to fret the strings firmly and get the notes to come out clearly. Finally, you need to tune the guitar and make sure that it is in standard tuning. This means that the open strings play E A D G B E, and all generate the exact same pitch as a corresponding note on a tuning device.http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/tuning/how-to-tune/

If you're new to the guitar, it's generally easier to play music on it while sitting down. Find a comfortable seat and sit up straight.http://www.instantguitarist.com/lessons/how-to-play-guitar/standing-up Now place your left hand around the neck and your right hand on the guitar strings. Once you have found a good practice space, and your guitar is in tune, you're ready to learn the E11 chord.

The E11 chord uses all the strings of the guitar. Leave the fourth, fifth, and sixth strings of the guitar open by not pressing down on any of the frets. Now press down on the first fret of the third string with your first (index) finger. Leave the second string open, and then place your third (ring) finger on the second fret of the first string. Press both strings down firmly, all the way down to the wood of the guitar neck if you can. Make sure your fingers aren't touching any of the other strings. The best way to do this is to use the tips and hold them as straight as possible. Now practice strumming the chord, and keep playing until you get all the notes coming out smoothly.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUfWI6K2j7E

If you want to learn how to play guitar chords, you will find it helpful to to learn several different chords and practice switching between them. If you're going to be able to play songs smoothly and effectively, you'll need to be able to develop muscle memory for each chord, so that you can move your fingers between them without even thinking about it.http://www.nxsweb.com/basic-guitar-chords.php

Once you've memorized the E11 chord and gotten the fingering down smoothly, try finding a song that uses it. Be sure to learn all the chords in the song. When people ask to hear you play a song on the guitar, they'll want to hear the whole thing, not just part of it. Practice the entire tune, and don't get stuck just learning one section. Now focus on being able to switch between the different chords on the guitar until you can do so fluidly and play the song continuously without stopping.http://www.nxsweb.com/basic-guitar-chords.php