Eb13

Eb13 is Eb, G, Bb, Db, F and C, a dominant thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written x65688, lowest string first.

Also written Ebdom13 or Eb dominant 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Eb13 on the guitar, and 47 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Eb13 belongs to F minor (the ♭VII) and Ab major (the V).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x65688, x65668, 666688, 11-8-10-8-8-9, 11-10-10-0-9-9, 11-10-10-10-11-9, 11-11-11-12-13-13, 11-13-11-12-13-11.

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. Eb13 has x6x688, 11-x-11-12-13-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Eb13 has x3102x, x4554x, x-x-10-8-8-9, 9-10-10-8-x-x, x-x-11-12-13-11, 3415xx, xx1523, xx5648.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Eb13 has 3x152x, x4x543, 8x564x, x6x688, 9-x-10-8-8-x, x-15-x-12-14-11, 11-x-11-12-13-x, x-10-x-8-13-9.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Eb13 has x3302x, x4556x, xx8688, x-x-10-10-8-9, x-x-11-12-13-13, x-13-11-12-13-x, x3x021, xx3523.

Tensions. A shell of Eb13, 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.