Bbmaj13

Bbmaj13 is Bb, D, F, A, C and G, a major thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written x11233, lowest string first.

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

Also written BbM13, BbΔ13 or Bb major 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Bbmaj13 on the guitar, and 57 derived voicings in 5 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Bbmaj13 and you have Bbmaj9 (with one note taken away), Bbmaj11 (with one note moved), Bb69 (with one note taken away) or Bb13 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Bbmaj13 belongs to D minor (the ♭VI), F major (the IV), G minor (the ♭III) and Bb major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x11233, 655565, 667786, x-10-8-8-10-10, x-13-12-12-10-10, x-13-10-12-10-10, x-13-13-14-15-15.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Bbmaj13 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 4 of the 7 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 15th.

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. Bbmaj13 has x1x233, 6x778x, x-13-x-14-15-15.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bbmaj13 has 3102xx, xx5335, 5553xx, xx7786, x-12-12-12-11-x, x1523x, 6-10-7-7-x-x, x-10-8-7-10-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bbmaj13 has x1x233, 5x533x, x-10-x-7-10-6, 6x778x, 10-x-8-12-10-x, x-12-x-12-11-10, 15-x-12-14-11-x, x-13-x-14-15-15.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bbmaj13 has x0001x, xx0213, xx3233, xx5535, x0303x, xx5765, xx7788, x8778x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Bbmaj13 has 5x5330, x35230, x00060, x00066, x0005x, xx0055.

Tensions. A shell of Bbmaj13, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (E).

What kind of chord this is. Bbmaj13 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.