Amaj13

Amaj13 is A, C#, E, G#, B and F#, a major thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written x02122, lowest string first.

Also written AM13, AΔ13 or A major 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Amaj13 on the guitar, and 57 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Amaj13 belongs to C# minor (the ♭VI), E major (the IV), F# minor (the ♭III) and A major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x02122, 544454, 556675, x06677, x97799, x-12-11-11-9-9, x-12-9-11-9-9, x-12-12-13-14-14.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Amaj13 has x0667x, x0x122, 5x667x, x-12-x-13-14-14.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Amaj13 has xx4224, 4442xx, xx6675, x-11-11-11-10-x, x0412x, 5966xx, x9769x, 9-11-7-11-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Amaj13 has x0x122, 4x422x, x9x695, 5x667x, 9-x-7-11-9-x, x-11-x-11-10-9, 14-x-11-13-10-x, x-12-x-13-14-14.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Amaj13 has xx2122, xx4424, xx4654, xx6677, x7667x, x-x-9-11-9-9, x-9-11-9-9-x, x-11-11-11-12-x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Amaj13 has 006677, 444200, x04424, 5x6670, 0x4224, 4x4220.

Tensions. A shell of Amaj13, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (D#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.