E Minor Thirteen (Em13) chords on guitar
The Em13 chord, E minor thirteenth, is made of E, G, B, D, F#, A and C#. Reading upward, those are the root, minor third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth. Each of them sits a third above the note before it.
With seven notes and only six strings, a guitar voicing cannot hold every one of them at the same time. Everything in the chord comes from the E Dorian scale, and the logic of the stack, third on top of third, is laid out in how chords are built. The C# is the thirteenth.
E minor 13th guitar chord is also written as Em13, Emin13 or E-13.
Em13 Chord Notes and Formula
Notes of the E m13 chord:
Chord structure of the Minor Thirteen chord:
Formula: 1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
Em13 Chord Interactive Fretboard
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Em13 Guitar Chord Diagrams
Position 1 Open
E Minor Thirteenth Finger Positions
- Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
- Let the D string play without pressing any fret
- Let the G string play without pressing any fret
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 2 of the high E string
Position 2 Barre Movable
E Minor Thirteenth Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A and G strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the high E string
Position 3 Barre Movable
E Minor Thirteenth Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 12 of the low E string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 12 of the D and G strings at the same time
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 14 of the B string
Position 4 Barre Movable Slash Chord
E/G Minor Thirteenth Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 12 of the D and G strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 12 of the high E string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 14 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 15 of the low E string
The lowest note is G, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Em13/G.
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Chords That Go With Em13
One key where Em13 fits is D major, where it works as the ii chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:
See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.
More E Chords
Want to know how this chord is built? Read chord symbols and intervals, or browse all E guitar chords.
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What are the notes of Em13?
Em13 is E, G, B, D, F#, A and C#. The F# is the ninth, A the eleventh and C# the thirteenth.
Why is the 13th of E minor thirteenth C# and not C?
A major sixth up from E is C#, nine semitones away. C natural would be a minor sixth, which does not match E Dorian.
Which scale contains Em13?
E Dorian: E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D. The chord uses all seven of its notes, so nothing falls outside the scale.
How does Em13 differ from Em9?
Em9 is E, G, B, D and F#. Em13 keeps those five and adds A and C#, the eleventh and the thirteenth.
How many accidentals are in Em13?
Two of its notes carry sharps, F# and C#. The other five, E, G, B, D and A, are natural.
