A Major 13th (Amaj13)

1+3+5+7+9+11+13
AEBDC#G#F#
4 4
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Notes in A Major 13th

A (root)C#EG#BDF#

Inversions

Same notes as A Major 13th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

A in the bass

AEBDC#G#F#

1st inversion

C# in the bass

EBDAC#G#F#

2nd inversion

E in the bass

EBDAG#F#C#

3rd inversion

G# in the bass

BDAEG#F#C#

4th inversion

B in the bass

BDAEF#C#G#

5th inversion

D in the bass

DAEBF#C#G#

6th inversion

F# in the bass

AEBDF#C#G#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like A Major 13th can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

A on the bottom

ADEBC#G#F#

Drop 3

A on the bottom

ABEDC#G#F#

Press A, C#, E, G#, B, D and F# together on the keyboard and you're playing A Major 13th.

A major ninth chord stretched all the way to the thirteenth, rich and expansive on paper though almost always voiced with several notes left out in practice. What survives keeps the warm, settled character of a major ninth chord with an even fuller top end.

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any key on the diagram above to hear that single note.