Chord Of The Week 27/12/14 - Moveable 13th chords

bigjon

The formula for a 13th chord is 1 (3) 5 b7 9 11 13 - the 3rd is usually omitted as it clashes sonically with the 11th, and the 5th is often omitted as something needs to be sacrificed to play a 6-note chord with 4 fingers!

So C13 is C (no E) (G) Bb D F A, or 8 (10) 8 7 6 5.

A full-ish version of the chord is quite common as a V-chord in RnB & soul ballads, so the C13 chord above would resolve to a F chord.

Here are the 5 CAGED shapes for 13th(no 3rd or 5th) chords - 

Db13 (C-shape): x2x342 (doesn't have the root, need the bass player to do that!)

Bb13 (A-shape): x11113

Ab13 (G-shape): 4x4321 (use thumb on 6th string)

F13 (E-shape): 1x1333

Eb13 (D-shape) xx1111 (doesn't have the 7th, how about tapping it at fret 21 on the 6th string?!!

I would say the G-shape and A-shape versions are most common and most useable, because they give a reasonable spread of all the major notes in the chord voiced in a sensibly ascending order.

Got any other moveable 13ths you'd like to share?

bigjon

Chord Of The Week Index updated with 73 discussions at http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/598/chord-of-the-week-index

ThePrettyDamned

The G-shape one is damn useful.  I can't get my thumb there, but I can use it to match the note on the high e for a major chord of some sort. If I took that off, but played the top four notes, a bass could imply a different harmony, right?

The bass moves up a minor third, so even though most of the chord is the same notes, it should give quite a different tonality. I think. Like a 4 note drone.

bigjon

The top four strings of the G-shape one are a standard maj7 with the root on the 6th string over the SECOND finger on the B-STRING.

So G13: 3x3210 

is the same as Fmaj7 1x3210 but with the F in the bass replaced by the G 2 frets up. So G13 could be rewritten as Fmaj7/G

ThePrettyDamned

Thanks, that makes sense. 

Like it, gotta get working on my thumb over stuff.