F13

F13 is F, A, C, Eb, G and D, a dominant thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written 111233, lowest string first.

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

Also written Fdom13 or F dominant 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for F13 on the guitar, and 55 derived voicings in 5 families.

One note away. Change a single note of F13 and you have Fmaj13 (with one note moved), F69 (with one note taken away), F9 (with one note taken away) or F9#11 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of F13 belongs to G minor (the ♭VII) and Bb major (the V).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 111233, x-8-7-8-10-10, x-8-7-8-8-10, 8-8-8-8-10-10, 13-10-12-10-10-11, 13-12-12-12-13-11, 13-13-13-14-15-15.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for F13 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 6 of the 7 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 15th.

Where it goes. F13 is the V of Bb, and that is where it goes if it goes anywhere: the third and the flat seventh are a tritone apart, and both resolve by a semitone into Bb.

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. F13 has 1x123x, x-8-x-8-10-10, 13-x-13-14-15-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. F13 has xx1231, x6776x, x-x-12-10-10-11, 11-12-12-10-x-x, x-x-13-14-15-13, 1512xx, x5324x, 5637xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. F13 has x5x241, 1x123x, 5x374x, x6x765, 10-x-7-8-6-x, x-8-x-8-10-10, 11-x-12-10-10-x, 13-x-13-14-15-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. F13 has xx1233, x0103x, x3123x, x6778x, x-x-10-8-10-10, x-x-12-12-10-11, x-x-13-14-15-15, x-15-13-14-15-x.

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. F13 has 56000x, x00047, x0044x, xx0045, 5x004x.

Tensions. A shell of F13, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (B).

What kind of chord this is. F13 is a dominant chord — root, major third, fifth, minor seventh. dominant seventh 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.