As the VC♭ major
- ii7D♭m7
- V13G♭13
- Imaj7C♭maj7
G♭13 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
G♭13 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The G♭13 chord is a dominant thirteenth chord built on the root note G♭. Its notes are G♭, B♭, F♭, A♭ and E♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as F♯13.
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
- G♭ · B♭ · F♭ · A♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♭7 · 9 · 13
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 10 · 14 · 21
- Note
- G♭
- Quality
- Dominant 13
- Symbol
- G♭13
G♭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 G♭13 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G♭, index finger on B♭, middle finger on E♭, ring finger on F♭ and little finger on A♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♭, B♭, A♭ and E♭ are black keys and F♭ is white, the key you'd normally call E. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- G♭1
- B♭3
- E♭13
- F♭♭7
- A♭9
G♭13 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, G♭13 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open.
G♭ · B♭ · F♭ · A♭ · E♭
Play G♭13 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
G♭13 chord notes
Also known as F♯13
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | B♭(Bb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 13 | Major thirteenth | 21 | E♭(Eb) |
How to use the G♭13 chord
The G♭13 chord is built from a root, a major third, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a major thirteenth. Start at the root G♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G♭, B♭, F♭, A♭ and E♭. 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.
How G♭13 differs from similar chords
G♭13 tops the dominant family, with a thirteenth over G♭7 and G♭9. The thirteenth is the sixth an octave higher, and that is the line between it and G♭6: G♭13 also has the minor seventh, so it keeps the dominant pull. The fifth and the eleventh are left out so the voicing doesn't get muddy.
Where G♭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 G♭13 chord?
- The G♭13 chord contains G♭, B♭, F♭, A♭ and E♭ (Gb, Bb, Fb, Ab and Eb in plain text).
- Is the G♭13 chord major or minor?
- G♭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 G♭13 on piano?
- Place your fingers on G♭, B♭, F♭, A♭ and E♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard G♭, B♭, A♭ and E♭ are black keys and F♭ is white, the key you'd normally call E. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play G♭13 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open.
- What is another name for the G♭13 chord?
- G♭13 is enharmonically equivalent to F♯13. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.