How to play Cmaj13: a major 13th 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 3 2 4 x 5 (x = not played).
| Note | C | E | B | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Cmaj13 is a major 13th with C as its root. The full theoretical spelling is C, E, G, B, D, F, A. 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.
Cmaj13 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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Cmaj13 is spelled C, E, G, B, D, F, A: the root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th. The common guitar voicing sounds C, E, B, A, leaving out the 5th and 9th and 11th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 3 2 4 x 5 (x means the string is not played). Fret the D string at the 2nd fret. Add the A string at the 3rd fret. Add the G string at the 4th fret. Add the high E string at the 5th fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the B string; the low E string stays silent.
Cmaj13 belongs to 2 keys: C major (the I chord) and A minor (the III).
