Train Your Ear and Fingers: Play G 13 Chord on Guitar
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G13 is the G dominant thirteenth chord, built on G, B, D, F, A, C and E. The E is the thirteenth: the sixth note of the G Mixolydian scale, placed above the octave.
Twelve voicings are listed, with three using open strings and six using a barre; the lowest is at the 2nd fret. The F is the flat seventh and the C the eleventh. G is the V chord of C major, so G13 can resolve to C. The G Mixolydian scale holds all seven tones.
Play into the microphone and the player shows which strings are sounding.
G dominant 13th guitar chord is also written as G13, Gdom13 or G7(13).
Notes in the G 13 chord:
How the Dominant Thirteen chord is built:
Formula: 1 3 5 b7 9 11 13
G 13 Guitar Chord Diagrams
Position 1 Open
Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Let the B string play without pressing any fret
- Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the low E string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the D string
Position 2 Barre Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the low E and D strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the high E string
Position 3 Barre Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the D string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the A string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the G and B strings at the same time
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 12 of the high E string
Position 4 Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the low E string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the D string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 4 of the G string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string
Position 5 Barre Movable
Finger Positions
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the low E, D and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string
Position 6 Barre Movable
Finger Positions
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the low E and D strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B and high E strings at the same time
Position 7 Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the D string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the B string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the high E string
Position 8 Barre Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the D and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the B string
Position 9 Barre Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the D string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the G and B strings at the same time
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 12 of the high E string
Position 10 Movable
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the A string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string
Position 11 Open
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Let the G string play without pressing any fret
- Let the B string play without pressing any fret
- Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the D string
Position 12 Open
Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the B string
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Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What notes make up G13?
G13 is G, B, D, F, A, C and E. The E is the thirteenth, a major sixth over the root.
How many G13 voicings are there, and which use open strings?
There are 12 voicings, between fret 2 and fret 12. Three use open strings and six are barre voicings.
Which scale suits G dominant thirteenth?
G Mixolydian is G, A, B, C, D, E and F. It is the C major scale started from G, and it contains every chord note.
What is the difference between G9 and G13?
G9 has G, B, D, F and A. G13 adds C and E, the eleventh and the thirteenth.
What do 9, 11 and 13 mean in G13?
They are A, C and E: a major ninth, a perfect fourth and a major sixth over the root, each named an octave higher.
