How to play B13: a 13th built on B, with 3 ways to play it, the notes, the keys it belongs to, and songs that use it.
The first diagram is a common voicing: played at the first few frets. An X above a string means don't play it; an O means play it open.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 2 x 2 4 4 (x = not played).
| Note | B | D# | A | G# |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | b7 | 13 |
B13 is a 13th with B as its root. The full theoretical spelling is B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#. This voicing omits the 5th and 9th and 11th, the tones guitarists drop first when fitting a chord onto six strings. A note on 13th chords: the root, 3rd, 7th, and 13th are generally considered sufficient in practice, although the technical definition spells the 9th and 11th as part of the chord too.
B13 is a diatonic chord (built from the key's own notes) in 1 major key and 1 minor key. The roman numeral is the chord's place in that key; tap a key for all of its chords.
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B13 is spelled B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th. The common guitar voicing sounds B, D#, A, G#, leaving out the 5th and 9th and 11th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 2 x 2 4 4 (x means the string is not played). Fret the A and G strings at the 2nd fret. Add the B and high E strings at the 4th fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the D string; the low E string stays silent.
B13 belongs to 2 keys: E major (the V chord) and C# minor (the VII).
