Easy Ways To Play The B7(b13) Guitar Chord

B seventh flat thirteen is the full name of B7(b13), a chord of five notes: B, D#, F#, A and G. A major third and a minor seventh form the tritone that wants to resolve, and the G is the flat thirteenth added on top.

From the root B, the notes sit at the intervals 1, 3, 5, b7, b13, a pattern that repeats on every root. Every tone of B7(b13) sits inside the B Mixolydian b6 scale, the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale, so it is a natural pool of notes for lines over the chord. The stacked upper notes make more sense after a look at the ninth chord family.

On a chart it may be written 7b13 or 7-13, and all of these spellings mean the same chord.

B 7th with flat 13th guitar chord is also written as B7(b13), B7b13 or B7-13.

B7(b13) Chord Notes and Formula

Notes of the B 7(b13) chord:

B D# F# A G

How the Dominant Seventh Flat Thirteen Added chord is built:

Formula: 1 3 5 #5 b7

B 7(B13) Chord Interactive Fretboard

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Chords That Go With B7(b13)

One key where B7(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 B7(b9) B7(#11) B7#5 B7#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 7(b13) | D 7(b13) | E 7(b13) | F 7(b13) | G 7(b13) | A 7(b13) | B 7(b13) | C#7(b13) | D#7(b13) | F#7(b13) | G#7(b13) | A#7(b13) | Ab7(b13) | Bb7(b13) | Db7(b13) | Eb7(b13) | Gb7(b13)

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

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

FAQ

Which notes are in B7(b13)?

B, D#, F#, A and G. The first four form a B seventh chord, and G is the flat thirteenth, a minor sixth from the root one octave up.

What is the flat thirteenth in B7(b13)?

It is G, the thirteenth degree, G#, lowered by a half step. It lies a half step higher than the fifth, F#, so the two notes sit very close together.

Which scale suits B7(b13)?

The B Mixolydian b6 scale: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G and A. It contains all five chord tones and is the fifth mode of E melodic minor.

How does B7(b13) differ from a plain B7?

A plain B7 has B, D#, F# and A. B7(b13) adds G, a note a half step higher than the fifth. That extra colour makes the chord darker than the plain dominant.

Where does B7(b13) tend to resolve?

A dominant seventh tends to resolve up a fourth, so B7(b13) leads to E. The flat thirteenth suits a resolution to E minor.