Emaj13

Emaj13 is E, G#, B, D#, F# and C#, a major thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written 021122, lowest string first.

Also written EM13, EΔ13 or E major 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Emaj13 on the guitar, and 55 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Emaj13 belongs to C# minor (the ♭III), E major (the I), Ab minor (the ♭VI) and B major (the IV).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 021122, x42244, x76644, x74644, x77899, 12-11-11-11-12-11, 12-12-13-13-14-12.

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. Emaj13 has 0666xx, 0x112x, x7x899, 12-x-13-13-14-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Emaj13 has xx1120, x6665x, x-x-11-9-9-11, 11-11-11-9-x-x, x-x-13-13-14-12, x4214x, 0411xx, 4626xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Emaj13 has x4x140, 0x112x, 4x264x, x6x654, 9x685x, x7x899, 11-x-11-9-9-x, 12-x-13-13-14-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Emaj13 has xx1122, x2112x, xx4644, x4644x, x6667x, xx9899, x-x-11-11-9-11, x-x-11-13-12-11.

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. Emaj13 has 06667x, 046440, 0x4644, x66670.

Tensions. A shell of Emaj13, 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.