The major 13♯11 chord extends a major seventh harmony with both a thirteenth and a raised eleventh. The ♯11 creates a distinctly Lydian brightness against the major third, while the thirteenth widens the chord into a modern “large major” sonority. It is often used on I or IV in major keys when harmony should feel colorful but still fundamentally stable—not like a dominant chord pulling away from home.
Construction
Conceptual stack: 1-3-5-7-9-♯11-13 (the fifth is commonly omitted in voicings for clarity). In Cmaj13♯11, you might work with C-E-B-D-F♯-A while distributing chord tones across hands or instruments.
Usage
Common in jazz, fusion, neo-soul, and contemporary gospel as a rich tonic color, a colorful IV chord, or a reharmonized landing chord in cadences. It also works well under melodies that emphasize scale degrees compatible with Lydian major (especially the fourth degree treated as color rather than avoid).
Examples
- Modern jazz voicings on tonic resolution for a “bright home” sound
- Neo-soul keys pads on I chords with upper extensions
- Fusion progressions that avoid plain triads on stable harmony
Play
Anchor 3 and 7 for major quality, place ♯11 and 13 in upper registers, and avoid stacking every extension in the same octave. If it gets muddy, omit the fifth first, then consider omitting the root in comping contexts.
Harmonic function in progressions
It reads as stable major harmony with maximal diatonic extensions rather than dominant function. Use it when you want richness without introducing dominant-seventh tension.
Ear-training cues
Hear major seventh frame plus third/♯11 Lydian shimmer and the above.
