E thirteenth
How to play E13 — Thirteenth
E13 (Thirteenth)E · G♯ · B · D · F♯ · C♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
E thirteenth — notes and structure
The E13 chord extends the dominant family up to the thirteenth — rich and funky.
The E13 thirteenth consists of the notes E, G♯, B, D, F♯, C♯. 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.
E13 stacks a major third (G♯), a perfect fifth (B), a minor seventh (D), a ninth (F♯) and a thirteenth (C♯) above the root E.
The finder shows 2 ways to play E13 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 6th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is E13 in?
Every note of E13 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.
- A major — the V chord
- F♯ minor — the VII chord
Chords that go with E13
In A major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put E13 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the E thirteenth chord?
- The E13 chord contains the notes E, G♯, B, D, F♯, C♯. It extends the dominant family up to the thirteenth — rich and funky.
- How many ways can you play E13 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is E13 a hard chord to play?
- It is fairly beginner-friendly — there is an open-position shape and none of the voicings need a barre.
- What key does E13 belong to?
- E13 fits A major (where it is the V chord), F♯ minor (where it is the VII chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.