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B flat thirteenth (Bb13) chord on guitar

Notes
B♭DFA♭CG
Formula
135♭7913

How to play Bb13 on guitar

  1. Shape 1 · 1st position

    no 5th (F)

    Bb13 chord on guitar, shape 1: first position, with open strings, notes Bb, D, Ab, C, G

  2. Shape 2 · fret 3 · barre

    no 5th (F)

    Bb13 chord on guitar, shape 2: barre at fret 3, notes Bb, D, Ab, C, G

  3. Shape 3 · fret 6 · barre

    no 9th (C)

    Bb13 chord on guitar, shape 3: barre at fret 6, notes Bb, D, F, Ab, G

  4. Shape 4 · fret 8

    no 5th (F), 9th (C)

    Bb13 chord on guitar, shape 4: from fret 8, notes Bb, D, Ab, G

Some shapes leave out: 5th (F), 9th (C). The caption of each one says what is missing. The 5th is the first to go: it barely changes the sound of the chord.

Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.

Bb13 inversions on guitar

The same Bb13 with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.

  1. 3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb13/D

    B flat thirteenth, Bb13/D, x55334B♭13/D34312DGB♭DA♭metronotuner.com

  2. 3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb13/D

    B flat thirteenth, Bb13/D, x56586B♭13/D51243DA♭CGB♭metronotuner.com

  3. 5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb13/F

    B flat thirteenth, Bb13/F, 110014B♭13/F1234FB♭DGCA♭metronotuner.com

  4. 5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb13/F

    B flat thirteenth, Bb13/F, x86786B♭13/F631241FA♭DGB♭metronotuner.com

  5. 7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb13/Ab

    B flat thirteenth, Bb13/Ab, 410011B♭13/A♭4123A♭B♭DGCFmetronotuner.com

  6. 7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb13/Ab

    B flat thirteenth, Bb13/Ab, 433333B♭13/A♭211A♭CFB♭DGmetronotuner.com

Jazz voicings

About the thirteenth chord

A dominant chord with the 13th: the 3rd and the 7th carry the tension, the 13th adds sparkle. The 11th is left out (it would clash with the 3rd), and the 5th and 9th are often dropped: the leanest shape is 1, 3, ♭7 and 13. It is the dominant of swing, blues, funk and samba-jazz; Brazilian chord charts write it 7(13).

Notes and intervals of Bb13

Bb13 (B flat thirteenth) is built from 6 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

  • B♭ · 1 · root
  • D · 3 · major third
  • F · 5 · perfect fifth
  • A♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh
  • C · 9 · ninth
  • G · 13 · thirteenth

Other B flat chords

Thirteenth: other roots

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bb13 chord on guitar?

Bb13 (B flat thirteenth) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.

What notes are in Bb13?

The notes of Bb13 are B♭, D, F, A♭, C, G. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 13: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth, thirteenth.

What does Bb13 mean?

Bb13 is the chord symbol for B flat thirteenth. A dominant chord with the 13th: the 3rd and the 7th carry the tension, the 13th adds sparkle. The 11th is left out (it would clash with the 3rd), and the 5th and 9th are often dropped: the leanest shape is 1, 3, ♭7 and 13. It is the dominant of swing, blues, funk and samba-jazz; Brazilian chord charts write it 7(13).

Bb13 on other instruments

All guitar chords