Eb13 Eb dominant thirteenth chord
- Notes
- Eb G Bb Db F Ab C
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9 11 13
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 17 21 above the root
- Also written
- D#13 (D# F## A# C# E# G# B#)
- Other symbols
- Ebdom13
Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones), Db to F is a major third (4 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to C is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh with the thirteenth, C, on top. The full chord has seven notes and a guitar has six strings, so players keep the root, the third G, the seventh Db and the thirteenth C, and leave out the fifth, the ninth and above all the eleventh Ab, which clashes with the third. The thirteenth is the sixth an octave up; it is a 13 and not a 6 chord because the seventh is there.
Eb13 on the piano
Root position from Eb4: Eb4, G4, Bb4, Db5, F5, Ab5, C6. Middle C is C4.
Eb13 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Eb as its lowest note.
x 6 x 6 8 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Db4 G4 C5, fifth, ninth and eleventh left out
11 x 11 12 13 x (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Db4 G4 C5, fifth, ninth and eleventh left out
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play dominant thirteenth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Eb13
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Eb G Bb Db F Ab C | Eb13 | |
| 1st inversion | G Bb Db F Ab C Eb | Eb13/G | |
| 2nd inversion | Bb Db F Ab C Eb G | Bbm13 (also read as Eb13/Bb) | |
| 3rd inversion | Db F Ab C Eb G Bb | Eb13/Db | |
| 4th inversion | F Ab C Eb G Bb Db | Eb13/F | |
| 5th inversion | Ab C Eb G Bb Db F | Eb13/Ab | |
| 6th inversion | C Eb G Bb Db F Ab | Eb13/C |
Where Eb13 fits
Eb13 is V13 in Ab major. Played with its third, seventh and thirteenth (G, Db, C) over the root, it is the standard dominant chord of jazz and soul, resolving to Ab.