Chords
Db Minor thirteenth
Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Bb
The minor thirteenth — a minor seventh chord extended all the way up, with a bright sixth degree on top.
Also written Db-13
Db Minor thirteenth
Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Db3 · Fb3 · Ab3 · Cb3 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Cb3 · Db3 · Eb3 · Fb3 · Ab3 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Db3 · Fb3 · Cb3 | |
| Rootless | Fb3 · Cb3 · Eb4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Db Minor thirteenth (Dbm13) contains the notes Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Bb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Db Minor thirteenth puts a chord tone other than Db in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Db Minor thirteenth belongs to.
In which keys
Db Minor 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
Db Minor thirteenth fits inside these scales, each built on Db.
- Db DorianDb · Eb · Fb · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Dorian #4Db · Eb · Fb · G · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Bebop MinorDb · Eb · Fb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb
Understanding the Db Minor thirteenth chord
Names and symbols
Dbm13 is the chord symbol for Db Minor thirteenth; it is also written Db-13.
Db Minor thirteenth and C# Minor thirteenth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. C# Minor thirteenth
How it is built
On Db it is Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Bb, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7m · 9M · 13M. The thirteenth is major even though the chord is minor, which is what gives it the Dorian flavour.
How it is used
It is the full expression of the Dorian sound — a minor chord with a raised sixth — and a staple of modal jazz and of soul vamps that stay on one chord for a long time.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Dbm13?
- Dbm13 contains Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Bb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What scale fits a m13 chord?
- Dorian. Its raised sixth degree is exactly the thirteenth of the chord.
- How is m13 voiced?
- Usually root, third, seventh, ninth and thirteenth, with the fifth and eleventh dropped.
- What notes are in the Db Minor thirteenth chord?
- The Db Minor thirteenth chord contains the notes Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Bb: the root Db 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 Db, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Db Minor thirteenth chord?
- Measured from Db, the Db Minor 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.