E13

E13 is E, G#, B, D, F# and C#, a dominant thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written 020120, lowest string first.

Also written Edom13 or E dominant 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 10 common shapes for E13 on the guitar, and 57 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of E13 belongs to F# minor (the ♭VII) and A major (the V).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 020120, 000122, 056650, x76799, x76779, 777799, 12-9-11-9-9-10, 12-11-11-11-12-10, 12-12-12-13-14-14, 12-14-12-13-14-12.

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. E13 has 0566xx, 0x012x, x7x799, 12-x-12-13-14-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. E13 has xx0120, x5665x, x-x-11-9-9-10, 10-11-11-9-x-x, x-x-12-13-14-12, x4213x, 0401xx, 4526xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. E13 has x4x130, 0x012x, 4x263x, x5x654, 9x675x, x7x799, 10-x-11-9-9-x, 12-x-12-13-14-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. E13 has xx0122, x2012x, xx0424, x5667x, xx9799, x-x-11-11-9-10, x-14-12-13-14-x, x4x132.

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. E13 has 040434, 05667x, 0x4634, x56670, x46430, 4x0600.

Tensions. A shell of E13, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (A#).

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