C sharp thirteenth (C#13) chord on guitar
- Notes
- C♯E♯G♯BD♯A♯
- Formula
- 135♭7913
How to play C#13 on guitar
-
Shape 1 · 1st position
no 5th (G♯)
-
Shape 2 · fret 4 · barre
no 9th (D♯)
-
Shape 3 · fret 6 · barre
no 5th (G♯)
-
Shape 4 · fret 9 · barre
no 9th (D♯)
Some shapes leave out: 5th (G♯), 9th (D♯). 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 (C sharp). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.
C#13 inversions on guitar
The same C#13 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 (E♯) in the bass1st inversion · C#13/E#
3rd (E♯) in the bass1st inversion · C#13/E#
5th (G♯) in the bass2nd inversion · C#13/G#
5th (G♯) in the bass2nd inversion · C#13/G#
7th (B) in the bass3rd inversion · C#13/B
7th (B) in the bass3rd inversion · C#13/B
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 C#13
C#13 (C sharp thirteenth) is built from 6 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:
- C♯ · 1 · root
- E♯ · 3 · major third
- G♯ · 5 · perfect fifth
- B · ♭7 · minor seventh
- D♯ · 9 · ninth
- A♯ · 13 · thirteenth
Other C sharp chords
- C#
- C#m
- C#7
- C#7M
- C#m7
- C#m7(b5)
- C#°
- C#°7
- C#+
- C#sus2
- C#sus4
- C#7sus4
- C#5
- C#add9
- C#6
- C#m6
- C#9
- C#m(add9)
- C#m9
- C#7M(9)
- C#m(7M)
- C#7M(#5)
- C#7(b9)
- C#6(9)
- C#m6(9)
- C#11
- C#m11
- C#13
- C#m13
- C#7(#9)
- C#7(#11)
- C#7(b13)
- C#7(#5)
- C#7M(#11)
- C#9sus4
Thirteenth: other roots
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the C#13 chord on guitar?
C#13 (C sharp 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 C#13?
The notes of C#13 are C♯, E♯, G♯, B, D♯, A♯. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 13: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth, thirteenth.
What does C#13 mean?
C#13 is the chord symbol for C sharp 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).