Guitar · thirteenth

E13 Chord on Guitar

E Dominant 13th is E, G#, B, D, F#, C# — the 1-3-5-b7-9-13 pattern of a thirteenth chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.

There is no open E13 on guitar. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.

Start here — Movable Root-5 Shape (6th fret)

Sits at fret 6 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.

Movable Root-5 Shape (6th fret)

Press play to hear E13 the way this shape actually sounds.

What beginners get wrong

Moving in and out of it

The shape above: Movable Root-5 Shape (6th fret).

Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.

E13 on other instruments

Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.

Piano

E13 on piano

2 voicings · easiest is advanced

Or see E Dominant 13th on every instrument at once.

Chords next door

Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on guitar.

E Major

E Minor

Edim

E Diminished

Eaug

E Augmented

Esus2

E Suspended 2nd

Esus4

E Suspended 4th

E13 on Guitar — questions people ask

What is the easiest way to play E13 on guitar?

“Movable Root-5 Shape (6th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest E13 shape on guitar. Sits at fret 6 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open E13 on guitar, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.

What notes are in the E Dominant 13th chord?

E Dominant 13th is E, G#, B, D, F#, C# — the 1-3-5-b7-9-13 interval pattern of a thirteenth chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.

What can I play instead of E13?

The nearest stand-ins on guitar that keep the same root are Esus4, Esus2, E. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.

Can I play E13 on other instruments?

Yes. E13 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on piano.

Learn the theory behind E13

The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.

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