Chord & FretC13 on electric guitar
On the electric guitar a chord needs only a few clear notes — the amp sustains them and fills the space, so you mute the strings you are not playing and let the tone carry the rest. In this C13 voicing the bass is E and the shape runs from fret 1 to 3, ringing 4 open strings. Plugged into an amp, each chord sustains for as long as you hold it, and the tone — clean or driven — shapes the whole sound.
Notes in C13: C – E – G – Bb – D – AFormula: 1 – 3 – 5 – b7 – 9 – 13In the formula, the numbers count steps of the major scale starting from the note that names the chord; "b" lowers a half step, "#" raises one — and a slash names the bass note.
Where to use it: An elegant dominant in jazz, MPB and gospel.
This is just one shape of C13 on electric guitar. In Chord & Fret, you hear every shape strummed string by string, in the instrument's own voice; compare positions with their difficulty marked; and set a capo — the diagrams redraw above it. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. Plays offline.
See the whole neck in Chord & Fret →Part of the Extended family.