Guitar chords · Major 13th
B♭maj13 chord on guitar (Bbmaj13)
B♭maj13 (B♭ major 13th) has six notes: B♭, D, F, A, C and G, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5, 7, 9 and 13.
Shapes
How to play B♭maj13
Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7.; the other numbers are the chord tones.
B♭maj13 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the A shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1 or the E shape at fret 6. A A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major. keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., on the lowest played string, names the chord.
A shape · fret 1
E shape · fret 6
Notes and formula
What makes B♭maj13 major 13th
A major 13th chord stacks the 13th on a major A triad with one more 3rd on top, the 7th, which makes four notes: G7, Cmaj7 and Am7 are seventh chords., for a lush, wide sound that ends many jazz tunes. Play the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3rd, 7th and 13th: the 5th and 9th are optional, and the 11th is left out because it clashes with the 3rd.
- 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
- 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
- 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.
- 11Left out: players skip it because it clashes.
The 3rd, the 7th and the 13th make B♭maj13 a major 13th chord; you can leave out the 5th and the 9th. The 11th is left out: it clashes with the 3rd.
- B♭Rroot
- D3essential
- F5optional
- A7essential
- C9optional
- G13essential
- B♭, the root
- Other chord tones
B♭maj13 and A♯maj13 are the same chord with two names: same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step., same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.
Keys
Keys with B♭maj13
B♭maj13 belongs to four keys: B♭ major (Imaj13), F major (IVmaj13), G minor (IIImaj13) and D minor (VImaj13).
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Slash chords
B♭maj13 over another bass note
A A chord with a different note in the bass, written after a slash: C/E is a C chord with E as its lowest note. The letter after the slash is the bass. keeps B♭maj13 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- B♭maj13/D
B♭maj13 with its 3rd, D, in the bass.
- B♭maj13/F
B♭maj13 with its 5th, F, in the bass.
- B♭maj13/A
B♭maj13 with its 7th, A, in the bass.
Same root
Other chords on A♯ / B♭
Change one or two notes and the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. gives a different colour. Compare them by ear.
- B♭ major
- B♭m minor
- B♭7 dominant 7th
- B♭maj7 major 7th
- B♭m7 minor 7th
- B♭sus2 suspended 2nd
- B♭sus4 suspended 4th
- B♭6 major 6th
- B♭m6 minor 6th
- B♭add9 add 9
- B♭9 dominant 9th
- B♭maj9 major 9th
- B♭m9 minor 9th
- B♭13 dominant 13th
- B♭m11 minor 11th
- A♯° diminished
- A♯m7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- A♯°7 diminished 7th
- B♭+ augmented
- B♭5 power chord
- B♭7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- B♭m(maj7) minor major 7th
- B♭6/9 six-nine
- B♭m(add9) minor add 9
- B♭7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
B♭maj13, in short
- What notes are in the B♭maj13 chord?
- B♭maj13 (B♭ major 13th) has six notes: B♭, D, F, A, C and G, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5, 7, 9 and 13.
- How do you play B♭maj13 on guitar?
- B♭maj13 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the A shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1 or the E shape at fret 6.
- What key is B♭maj13 in?
- B♭maj13 belongs to four keys: B♭ major (Imaj13), F major (IVmaj13), G minor (IIImaj13) and D minor (VImaj13).
- Is B♭maj13 the same as A♯maj13?
- Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. B♭maj13 is the spelling in B♭ major, F major, G minor and D minor. No key on the circle spells it A♯maj13, so you will rarely see that name.