Chords
A Dominant thirteenth
A · C# · E · G · B · F#
The thirteenth chord — the full dominant stack. In practice, four well-chosen notes.
A Dominant thirteenth
A · C# · E · G · B · F#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | A3 · C#4 · E4 · G4 · B4 · F#5 | |
| Open (drop 2) | A3 · B3 · C#4 · E4 · G4 · F#5 | |
| Shell | A3 · C#4 · G4 | |
| Rootless | C#3 · G3 · B3 · F#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
A Dominant thirteenth (A13) contains the notes A · C# · E · G · B · F#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of A Dominant thirteenth puts a chord tone other than A in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales A Dominant thirteenth belongs to.
In which keys
A Dominant thirteenth is diatonic to 2 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
A Dominant thirteenth fits inside these scales, each built on A.
- A MixolydianA · B · C# · D · E · F# · G
- A Lydian DominantA · B · C# · D# · E · F# · G
- A BebopA · B · C# · D · E · F# · G · G#
- A Bebop MinorA · B · C · C# · D · E · F# · G
- A Composite BluesA · B · C · C# · D · Eb · E · F# · G
Understanding the A Dominant thirteenth chord
Names and symbols
A13 is the chord symbol for A Dominant thirteenth.
How it is built
On A the complete chord is A · C# · E · G · B · F#, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 7m · 9M · 13M. Seven notes is more than any keyboard voicing wants and more than most ensembles can state clearly.
How it is used
What players actually voice is root, third, seventh and thirteenth — the notes that carry the identity. The fifth goes first, the eleventh next, and the ninth is optional.
It is the standard big-band dominant: full, bright, and still resolving, because the tritone between third and seventh is untouched.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in A13?
- In full, A13 contains A · C# · E · G · B · F#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Do you play all seven notes of a 13 chord?
- Almost never. Root, third, seventh and thirteenth state the chord; the fifth and eleventh are normally omitted.
- How is a 13 chord different from a 6 chord?
- A 13 chord includes the seventh and is dominant in function. A 6 chord has no seventh and is stable.
- What notes are in the A Dominant thirteenth chord?
- The A Dominant thirteenth chord contains the notes A · C# · E · G · B · F#: the root A with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7m, 9M, 13M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally A, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the A Dominant thirteenth chord?
- Measured from A, the A Dominant thirteenth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7m, 9M, 13M. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.