Dmaj13
Character: rich, warm
- DRtriad
- F♯3triad
- A5triad
- C♯7add
- E9left out
- G11left out
- B13add
6 ways to play Dmaj13
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
Frets x 5 4 4 2 xNotes D F♯ B C♯Intervals 1 3 13 7Base triadD major, root position
The 7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x 4 4 4 3 xNotes C♯ F♯ B DIntervals 7 3 13 1Base triadD major, 1st inversion
The 7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets 9 9 9 7 x xNotes C♯ F♯ B DIntervals 7 3 13 1Base triadD major, 1st inversion
The 7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x x 12 11 12 9Notes D F♯ B C♯Intervals 1 3 13 7Base triadD major, root position
The 7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x x 11 11 12 10Notes C♯ F♯ B DIntervals 7 3 13 1Base triadD major, 1st inversion
The 7th gets a string of its own. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x x 0 4 2 2Notes D B C♯ F♯Intervals 1 13 7 3Base triadD major, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 7th takes the root’s string. The 13th takes the 5th’s string.
The construction rules Dmaj13 follows
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Major 13th in every key
More chords on D
Dmaj13 chord questions
What notes are in Dmaj13?
Dmaj13 is spelled D F♯ A C♯ E G B: D is the root, F♯ is the 3rd, A is the 5th, C♯ is the 7th, E is the 9th, G is the 11th, B is the 13th.
What is the formula of Dmaj13?
1 3 5 7 (9) (11) 13. It is a D major triad with the 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th stacked on top.
How many ways can you play Dmaj13 on guitar?
This page shows 6 voicings of Dmaj13, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.
Which notes of Dmaj13 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.