How to play Em13: a minor 13th built on E, with 2 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 7th fret. 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 7 x 7 8 9 (x = not played).
| Note | E | G | D | C# |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | b3 | b7 | 13 |
Em13 is a minor 13th with E as its root. The full theoretical spelling is E, G, B, D, F#, A, C#. 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.
Em13 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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Em13 is spelled E, G, B, D, F#, A, C#: the root, minor 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th. The common guitar voicing sounds E, G, D, C#, leaving out the 5th and 9th and 11th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 7 x 7 8 9 (x means the string is not played). Fret the A and G strings at the 7th fret. Add the B string at the 8th fret. Add the high E string at the 9th fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the D string; the low E string stays silent.
Em13 belongs to 2 keys: D major (the ii chord) and B minor (the iv).
