Abmaj13

Abmaj13 is Ab, C, Eb, G, Bb and F, a major thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written 433343, lowest string first.

Note by note. Ab is the root, C is the major third, Eb is the fifth, G is the major seventh, Bb is the ninth and F is the thirteenth.

Also written AbM13, AbΔ13 or Ab major 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Abmaj13 on the guitar, and 52 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Abmaj13 and you have Abmaj9 (with one note taken away), Abmaj11 (with one note moved), Ab69 (with one note taken away) or Ab13 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Abmaj13 belongs to C minor (the ♭VI), Eb major (the IV), F minor (the ♭III) and Ab major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 433343, 445564, x86688, x-11-10-10-8-8, x-11-8-10-8-8, x-11-11-12-13-13.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Abmaj13 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 3rd fret. 4 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 3rd fret to the 13th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Abmaj13 has 4x556x, x-11-x-12-13-13.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Abmaj13 has xx3113, 3331xx, xx5564, x-10-10-10-9-x, x-x-15-13-13-15, 15-15-15-13-x-x, 4855xx, x8658x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Abmaj13 has 3x311x, x8x584, 4x556x, 8-x-6-10-8-x, x-10-x-10-9-8, 13-x-10-12-9-x, x-11-x-12-13-13, 15-x-15-13-13-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Abmaj13 has xx3313, x1301x, xx1011, xx3543, x3304x, xx5566, x6556x, x-x-8-10-8-8.

Tensions. A shell of Abmaj13, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (D).

What kind of chord this is. Abmaj13 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. major chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.