A minor thirteenth
How to play Am13 — Minor thirteenth
Am13 (Minor thirteenth)A · C · E · G · B · F♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
A minor thirteenth — notes and structure
The Am13 chord extends the minor family up to the thirteenth — deep and jazzy.
The Am13 minor thirteenth consists of the notes A, C, E, G, B, F♯. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7–9–13 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Am13 stacks a minor third (C), a perfect fifth (E), a minor seventh (G), a ninth (B) and a thirteenth (F♯) above the root A.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Am13 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is Am13 in?
Every note of Am13 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- G major — the ii chord
- E minor — the iv chord
Chords that go with Am13
In G major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Am13 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A minor thirteenth chord?
- The Am13 chord contains the notes A, C, E, G, B, F♯. It extends the minor family up to the thirteenth — deep and jazzy.
- How many ways can you play Am13 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Am13 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Am13 belong to?
- Am13 fits G major (where it is the ii chord), E minor (where it is the iv chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.