B flat minor thirteenth (Bbm13) chord on guitar

Notes: B♭D♭FA♭CG
Formula: 1♭35♭7913

How to play Bbm13 on guitar

Shape 1 · fret 1 · barre

no 9th (C)
Shape 2 · fret 6 · barre
Shape 3 · fret 4

no 5th (F), 9th (C)
Shape 4 · fret 8

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

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.

Bbm13 inversions on guitar

The same Bbm13 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.

3rd (D♭) in the bass1st inversion · Bbm13/Db
3rd (D♭) in the bass1st inversion · Bbm13/Db
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bbm13/F
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bbm13/F
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bbm13/Ab
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bbm13/Ab

About the minor thirteenth chord

A minor seventh chord with a major 13th: m7 with a Dorian colour, common in jazz, funk and soul as a chord that keeps going round while the melody moves. The formula here is the one most used, without the 11th: 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9 and 13; as in the 13 chord, the 5th and 9th may be left out.

Notes and intervals of Bbm13

Bbm13 (B flat minor thirteenth) is built from 6 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

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

Other B flat chords

Minor thirteenth: other roots

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bbm13 chord on guitar?

Bbm13 (B flat minor 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 Bbm13?

The notes of Bbm13 are B♭, D♭, F, A♭, C, G. The formula is 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 13: root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth, thirteenth.

What does Bbm13 mean?

Bbm13 is the chord symbol for B flat minor thirteenth. A minor seventh chord with a major 13th: m7 with a Dorian colour, common in jazz, funk and soul as a chord that keeps going round while the melody moves. The formula here is the one most used, without the 11th: 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9 and 13; as in the 13 chord, the 5th and 9th may be left out.

Bbm13 on other instruments

All guitar chords