As the I of a bluesF♭ major
The twelve-bar shape boiled down. The tonic is itself a dominant seventh, which is what makes it a blues.
F♭13 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭13 chord is a dominant thirteenth chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭, A♭, E𝄫, G♭ and D♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as E13.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant thirteenth chords are the fullest dominant sound in common use, a dominant seventh with a ninth and a thirteenth piled on top. The major sixth on top, sounding an octave up as the thirteenth, gives the chord a bright, open lid.
- Notes
- F♭ · A♭ · E𝄫 · G♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♭7 · 9 · 13
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 10 · 14 · 21
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Dominant 13
- Symbol
- F♭13
F♭13 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♭13 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭, index finger on A♭, middle finger on E𝄫, ring finger on G♭ and little finger on D♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- A♭3
- E𝄫♭7
- G♭9
- D♭13
F♭13 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭13 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.
F♭13 chord notes
Also known as E13
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♭(Ab) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | E𝄫(Ebb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 13 | Major thirteenth | 21 | D♭(Db) |
How to use the F♭13 chord
The F♭13 chord is built from a root, a major third, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a major thirteenth. Start at the root F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭, A♭, E𝄫, G♭ and D♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant thirteenth chords are the default rich dominant in jazz, gospel and R&B horn and keyboard voicings, usually the V7 resolving to a major or minor tonic. Big band charts lean on them wherever a plain dominant seventh would sound thin.
Where F♭13 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♭13 chord?
- The F♭13 chord contains F♭, A♭, E𝄫, G♭ and D♭ (Fb, Ab, Ebb, Gb and Db in plain text).
- Is the F♭13 chord major or minor?
- F♭13 is a dominant thirteenth chord. Dominant thirteenth chords are the fullest dominant sound in common use, a dominant seventh with a ninth and a thirteenth piled on top. The major sixth on top, sounding an octave up as the thirteenth, gives the chord a bright, open lid.
- How do you play F♭13 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭, A♭, E𝄫, G♭ and D♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.
- How do you play F♭13 on guitar?
- F♭13 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.
- What is another name for the F♭13 chord?
- F♭13 is enharmonically equivalent to E13. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.