How to play Bbm13: a minor 13th built on Bb, with 1 voicing, 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 1 x 1 2 3 (x = not played).
| Note | Bb | Db | Ab | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | b3 | b7 | 13 |
Bbm13 is a minor 13th with Bb as its root. The full theoretical spelling is Bb, Db, F, Ab, C, Eb, 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.
Bbm13 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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Bbm13 is spelled Bb, Db, F, Ab, C, Eb, G: the root, minor 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th. The common guitar voicing sounds Bb, Db, Ab, G, leaving out the 5th and 9th and 11th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 1 x 1 2 3 (x means the string is not played). Fret the A and G strings at the 1st fret. Add the B string at the 2nd fret. Add the high E string at the 3rd fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the D string; the low E string stays silent.
Bbm13 belongs to 2 keys: Ab major (the ii chord) and F minor (the iv).
