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A♭13 Chord on Guitar

A♭13 is the A♭ dominant 13th chord — 6 notes (A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭, F) built from the formula 1 3 5 ♭7 9 13. Below are playable shapes across the fretboard, the keys it belongs to and the scales to use when soloing over it.

Notes: A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · FFormula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 · 13Hear it and see it on the fretboard ▸

A♭13: Chord shapes (open & barre)

  • A♭13 – fret 1R9♭7R313fret 1
  • A♭13 – fret 33R3♭7913×fret 3
  • A♭13 – fret 44R5♭7313Rfret 4
  • A♭13 – fret 1111×R5♭7313fret 11

A♭13: Shell voicings (jazz)

  • A♭13 – R-3-7R3♭7×××R-3-7
  • A♭13 – R-3-710×R3♭7××R-3-7
  • A♭13 – R-7-3R×♭73××R-7-3
  • A♭13 – R-7-311×R×♭73×R-7-3

Keys that contain A♭13

Scales to play over A♭13

Ordered from the most common choice. All of them contain A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭, F.

Other A♭ chords

Triads

Sevenths

Sixths

Added

Extended

Dominant 13th chords in other keys

FAQ

What notes are in the A♭13 chord?
A♭13 (A♭ dominant 13th) contains A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭, F — formula 1 3 5 ♭7 9 13.
How do you play A♭13 on guitar?
A common shape is 414111 (low E to high E, x = muted string, around fret 1). This page shows more shapes, drop 2, drop 3 and shell voicings in the interactive library.
What scale goes with A♭13?
Good choices to solo over A♭13: A♭ Mixolydian, A♭ Lydian dominant.
What key is A♭13 in?
A♭13 is diatonic in D♭ major (V13), B♭ minor (♭VII13).