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A♭13

Character: soulful

  1. A♭Rtriad
  2. C3triad
  3. E♭5triad
  4. G♭♭7add
  5. B♭9left out
  6. D♭11left out
  7. F13add
Open A♭13 in the chord libraryDownload the A♭13 chart (PDF)
Voicings

5 ways to play A♭13

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

  • Triad note
  • Substitute
  • Added
  • Anchored root
  • Bass
  • Doubling
CC shape 3rd inversion A♭13/G♭
8 9 10 11 5 R 13 3 ♭7

Frets x 9 10 10 9 xNotes G♭ C F A♭Intervals ♭7 3 13 1Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.

AA shape 2nd inversion A♭13/F
1 2 3 4 5 ♭7 3 R 13

Frets x x 3 1 1 2Notes F A♭ C G♭Intervals 13 1 3 ♭7Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.

GG shape 3rd inversion A♭13/G♭
1 2 3 4 5 R 13 3 ♭7

Frets 2 3 3 1 x xNotes G♭ C F A♭Intervals ♭7 3 13 1Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape 3rd inversion A♭13/G♭
4 5 6 7 5 R 13 3 ♭7

Frets x x 4 5 6 4Notes G♭ C F A♭Intervals ♭7 3 13 1Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape 2nd inversion AnchoredA♭13
4 5 6 7 R 13 3 ♭7 5 R

Frets 4 6 4 5 6 xNotes A♭ E♭ G♭ C FIntervals 1 5 ♭7 3 13Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string. The 13th gets a string of its own.

The rules

The construction rules A♭13 follows

  1. Start from a triad

    Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.

  2. A third on top makes a 7th chord

    A major 7th over a major triad is maj7, a ♭7 is a dominant 7. Over minor you get m7 or m(maj7); over diminished, m7♭5 or the °7, whose 7th is lowered twice.

  3. Keep stacking for extensions

    The 9th, 11th and 13th are the 2nd, 4th and 6th an octave up. Each one sits on the stack below it: a 9th chord holds a 7th, a 13th holds the 9th and 11th in theory.

  4. On guitar, something has to give

    Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.

  5. Leave out what clashes

    A natural 11th a minor 9th above a major 3rd sounds wrong, so major and dominant chords use a ♯11, and a 13th chord leaves the 11th out.

  6. Drop what adds least

    A guitar chord has four to six notes. When the formula holds more, the 5th and then the 9th go first: the root, 3rd, 7th and top extension still say exactly what the chord is.

  7. The root can move down

    When an extension needs the root’s string, the root can drop to the string below the triad: an anchored voicing keeps the bass and frees a string on top.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

Dominant 13th in every key

More chords on A♭

A♭13 chord questions

What notes are in A♭13?

A♭13 is spelled A♭ C E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ F: A♭ is the root, C is the 3rd, E♭ is the 5th, G♭ is the ♭7th, B♭ is the 9th, D♭ is the 11th, F is the 13th.

What is the formula of A♭13?

1 3 5 ♭7 (9) (11) 13. It is a A♭ major triad with the ♭7th, 9th, 11th, 13th stacked on top.

How many ways can you play A♭13 on guitar?

This page shows 5 voicings of A♭13, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.

Which notes of A♭13 can you leave out on guitar?

The 9th and 11th. A guitar chord has four to six notes, so the notes that add the least go first, and the root, the 3rd, the 7th and the top extension still say exactly what the chord is.