B13 Guitar Chord | Play, Hear and Practice Interactively

B 13 position 1 guitar chord diagram

B13, the B dominant thirteenth chord, is made of B, D#, F#, A, C#, E and G#. Stacked in thirds, that is the root, third, fifth, flat seventh, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth.

Eight voicings are listed and six use a barre. The lowest begins at the 1st fret, and none has an open string. The reasoning behind stacking thirds this high is laid out in how chords are built. Everything fits the B Mixolydian scale.

The player labels each note, so the G# and the root are easy to find.

B dominant 13th guitar chord is also written as B13, Bdom13 or B7(13).

B13 Chord Notes and Formula

B 13 chord Notes:

B D# F# A C# E G#

Chord formula for the Dominant Thirteen chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 b7 9 11 13

B13 Chord Interactive Fretboard

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B13 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Barre Movable

B 13 position 1 guitar chord diagram

B Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the G and B strings at the same time
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the high E string

Position 2 Barre Movable

B 13 position 2 guitar chord diagram

B Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the B and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the low E string

Position 3 Barre Movable

B 13 position 3 guitar chord diagram

B Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the low E and D strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the B string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the high E string

Position 4 Barre Movable

B 13 position 4 guitar chord diagram

B Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the low E, D and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the A string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the B string

Position 5 Movable

B 13 position 5 guitar chord diagram

B Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the low E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the D string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the G string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the B string

Position 6 Movable Slash Chord

B 13 position 6 guitar chord diagram (B13/D# slash chord)

B/D# Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 6 of the A string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the B string

The lowest note is D#, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord B13/D#.

Position 7 Barre Movable Slash Chord

B 13 position 11 guitar chord diagram (B13/A slash chord)

B/A Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the B string

The lowest note is A, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord B13/A.

Position 8 Barre Movable

B 13 position 12 guitar chord diagram

B Dominant Thirteenth Finger Positions

  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the low E, D, B and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the G string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the A string

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Chords That Go With B13

One key where B13 fits is E major, where it works as the V chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:

I · E ii · F#m iii · G#m IV · A V · B vi · C#m

See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.

More B Chords

B Bm B7 Bm7 Bmaj7 Bsus4 Bsus2 Badd9 Bdim B9 B13(b9) B13(#11) B13#5 B13(#9)

Want to know how this chord is built? Read dominant chords explained, or browse all B guitar chords.

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 13 | D 13 | E 13 | F 13 | G 13 | A 13 | B 13 | C#13 | D#13 | F#13 | G#13 | A#13 | Ab13 | Bb13 | Db13 | Eb13 | Gb13

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

Which notes make up B13?

B13 is B, D#, F#, A, C#, E and G#. The G# is the thirteenth, a major sixth over the root.

How many voicings does B dominant thirteenth have?

There are 8 voicings, from fret 1 to fret 11. Six of them are barre voicings and none uses an open string.

Which scale suits B13?

B Mixolydian is B, C#, D#, E, F#, G# and A. All seven chord notes are in it.

How does B13 build on B7?

B7 is B, D#, F# and A. B13 stacks three more thirds on top, adding C#, E and G#.

Where is the minor seventh in B13?

It is A, a whole step under the upper B. In the stack of thirds it sits between the fifth F# and the ninth C#.