Bbm13 — Bb minor thirteenth chord

A minor seventh chord with the ninth and the thirteenth added. The eleventh is normally left out, as on the dominant thirteenth.

1 = Bb
b3 = Db
5 = F
b7 = Ab
9 = C
13 = G

Symbol: Bbm13
Root: Bb
Quality: Minor thirteenth
Family: extended
Notes: Bb Db F Ab C G
Degree formula: 1 b3 5 b7 9 13
Semitones from the root: 0 2 3 7 9 10
Distinct pitch classes: 6
Interval structure: Stacked from the root: 3 semitones, 4 semitones, 3 semitones, 4 semitones, 7 semitones
Notation: Written m13. A tonic or subdominant colour in jazz and soul.
Key: Bb · Bb major / G minor key signature

Fingering charts

The library holds 5 fingerings of this chord and all of them are shown, in the library’s own order. Several fingerings of one chord is normal: the same notes can be stopped at different positions and on different strings.

Bbm13 chord fingering chart, variation 1 of 5 — Variation 1 of 5 Diagram: Will Chan

Bbm13 chord fingering chart, variation 2 of 5 — Variation 2 of 5 Diagram: Will Chan

Bbm13 chord fingering chart, variation 3 of 5 — Variation 3 of 5 Diagram: Will Chan

Bbm13 chord fingering chart, variation 4 of 5 — Variation 4 of 5 Diagram: Will Chan

Bbm13 chord fingering chart, variation 5 of 5 — Variation 5 of 5 Diagram: Will Chan

Formula

The chord tones in order from the root, with the interval each one forms above it.

Degree	Note	Semitones	Interval from the root
1	Bb	0	Perfect unison
b3	Db	3	Minor third
5	F	7	Perfect fifth
b7	Ab	10	Minor seventh
9	C	2	Major second
13	G	9	Major sixth

Inversions

An inversion is the same set of notes with a different one in the bass. The last column gives the distance of each note above the bass note, in semitones.

Inversion	Bass note	Degree in the bass	Notes above the bass	Semitones above the bass
root position	Bb	1	Bb – Db – F – Ab – C – G	0 3 7 10 2 9
first inversion	Db	b3	Db – F – Ab – C – G – Bb	0 4 7 11 6 9
second inversion	F	5	F – Ab – C – G – Bb – Db	0 3 7 2 5 8
third inversion	Ab	b7	Ab – C – G – Bb – Db – F	0 4 11 2 5 9
fourth inversion	C	9	C – G – Bb – Db – F – Ab	0 7 10 1 5 8
fifth inversion	G	13	G – Bb – Db – F – Ab – C	0 3 6 10 1 5

Inversion

Bass note

Degree in the bass

Notes above the bass

Semitones above the bass

root position

Bb – Db – F – Ab – C – G

0 3 7 10 2 9

first inversion

Db – F – Ab – C – G – Bb

0 4 7 11 6 9

second inversion

F – Ab – C – G – Bb – Db

0 3 7 2 5 8

third inversion

Ab – C – G – Bb – Db – F

0 4 11 2 5 9

fourth inversion

C – G – Bb – Db – F – Ab

0 7 10 1 5 8

fifth inversion

G – Bb – Db – F – Ab – C

0 3 6 10 1 5

Playable voicings

These shapes were found by searching the fretboard of a standard-tuned guitar (E A D G B E) rather than copied from a chord book. The search allows every string to sound or to be muted, rejects any shape with a muted string between two sounding strings, rejects any shape whose fretted notes span more than four frets (a five-fret window), requires every chord tone to be present, and then sorts what remains with root-position shapes first and the most compact, lowest shapes next. The shapes shown are the first six of that ordering; other orderings are possible at the same frets.

#	Shape (low string first)	Notes	Degrees	Bass	Span (frets)	Sounding strings
1	6-4-5-5-6-4 (6→1)	Bb Db G C F Ab	1 b3 13 9 5 b7	Bb	2	6
2	6-8-6-6-8-8 (6→1)	Bb F Ab Db G C	1 5 b7 b3 13 9	Bb	2	6
3	6-3-5-6-6-4 (6→1)	Bb C G Db F Ab	1 9 13 b3 5 b7	Bb	3	6
4	6-3-6-6-6-3 (6→1)	Bb C Ab Db F G	1 9 b7 b3 5 13	Bb	3	6
5	6-4-6-5-6-3 (6→1)	Bb Db Ab C F G	1 b3 b7 9 5 13	Bb	3	6
6	6-8-5-5-9-9 (6→1)	Bb F G C Ab Db	1 5 13 9 b7 b3	Bb	4	6

Shape numbers run from the lowest string to the highest, so the left-hand number is the sixth string (low E) in standard tuning. Multiple shapes are listed because a chord can be voiced several ways, and because a lower position is not always the better sounding one.

Related chords and scales

KeyEverything in Bbscale, chords and neck map for this root
ScaleBb dorianthe scale this chord comes from
ChordBbm11the minor eleventh it extends
ChordBbmthe triad underneath it
ChordBbm7the seventh chord on this root

Everything in Bb · All chords

KeyKey of BbBb C D Eb F G A · Bb major / G minor
ScaleBb dorian7 notes · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
ChordBbm11 — Minor eleventh1 9 b3 11 5 b7 · Bb C Db Eb F Ab
ChordBbm — Minor1 b3 5 · Bb Db F
ChordBbm7 — Minor seventh1 b3 5 b7 · Bb Db F Ab
ChordBb11 — Dominant eleventh1 9 3 11 5 b7 · Bb C D Eb F Ab
ChordBb13 — Dominant thirteenth1 9 3 5 13 b7 · Bb C D F G Ab
ChordBb9 — Dominant ninth1 9 3 5 b7 · Bb C D F Ab

Everything in this key: Bb · Chords · Theory Atlas