A13 Chord on Guitar

1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.

A13 is a dominant thirteenth chord made of 6 notes: A, C♯, E, G, B, F♯. It sounds full and jazzy, the most colourful dominant chord, and you hear it in jazz, blues and big-band endings. It is the V chord of D major and turns up in 2 other keys.

The library above opens on A13 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in A13

NoteDegreeInterval from ASemitones
A1root0
C♯3major third4
E5perfect fifth7
G♭7minor seventh10
B9major ninth14
F♯13major thirteenth21

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9 – 13. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.

How to play A13

123
Open positionBeginnerx02022
4fr312
Fret 4Beginner544000
3412
Open positionEasyx04423
3fr322241
Fret 3Medium544453
5fr13244
E-shape barre at fret 5Medium575677
5fr123
Fret 5Beginnerx05670

Fret 4 (root on the 6th string), step by step

  1. 1st finger (index): 5th string, 4th fret (C♯, the major third).
  2. 2nd finger (middle): 4th string, 4th fret (F♯, the thirteenth).
  3. 3rd finger (ring): 6th string, 5th fret (A, the root).
  4. Let the 3rd string, 2nd string, 1st string ring open (G, B, E).
  5. Strum from the 6th string across all six strings.

Tips

The fret 4 shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 5th fret (575677): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with A13

A13 belongs to 3 keys: V in D major, V7 in D minor, VII in B minor. In D major, try I–V–vi–IV: D – A13 – Bm – G.

Common questions

What notes are in A13?

A, C♯, E, G, B, F♯: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth, thirteenth.

What is the easiest way to play A13?

Fret 4: 544000 (low string first), rated Beginner.

What is the difference between A13 and A9?

A13 has F♯. A13 sounds full and jazzy, the most colourful dominant chord; A9 sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour.

Is A13 a hard chord?

No. The easiest shape is rated Beginner and needs 3 fingers.

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