How to play C#7b13: a dominant 7th flat 13 built on C#, 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 4 3 4 4 5 (x = not played).
| Note | C# | E# | B | A | D# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | b7 | b13 | 9 |
C#7b13 is a dominant 7th flat 13 with C# as its root. The full theoretical spelling is C#, E#, G#, B, D#, F#, A. This voicing omits the 5th 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.
C#7b13 is not a diatonic chord in any major or minor key: it turns up as a borrowed chord, a passing chord or an altered dominant, which is part of its color.
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C#7b13 is spelled C#, E#, G#, B, D#, F#, A: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th, 11th, flat 13th. The common guitar voicing sounds C#, E#, B, A, D#, leaving out the 5th and 11th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 4 3 4 4 5 (x means the string is not played). Fret the D string at the 3rd fret. Add the A, G and B strings at the 4th fret. Add the high E string at the 5th fret. Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.
C#7b13 is not a diatonic chord in any major or minor key: it turns up as a borrowed chord, a passing chord or an altered dominant, which is part of its color.
