B major thirteenth
How to play Bmaj13 — Major thirteenth
Bmaj13 (Major thirteenth)B · D♯ · F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · G♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
B major thirteenth — notes and structure
The Bmaj13 chord stacks the major family up to the thirteenth — lush and cinematic.
The Bmaj13 major thirteenth consists of the notes B, D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯, G♯. 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.
Bmaj13 stacks a major third (D♯), a perfect fifth (F♯), a major seventh (A♯), a ninth (C♯) and a thirteenth (G♯) above the root B.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Bmaj13 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 14th fret. They use a barre.
What key is Bmaj13 in?
Every note of Bmaj13 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.
- B major — the I chord
- F♯ major — the IV chord
- G♯ minor — the III chord
- D♯ minor — the VI chord
Chords that go with Bmaj13
In B major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Bmaj13 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the B major thirteenth chord?
- The Bmaj13 chord contains the notes B, D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯, G♯. It stacks the major family up to the thirteenth — lush and cinematic.
- How many ways can you play Bmaj13 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Bmaj13 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 Bmaj13 belong to?
- Bmaj13 fits B major (where it is the I chord), F♯ major (where it is the IV chord), G♯ minor (where it is the III chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.