Piano chord
A♭13A flat thirteenth
- A♭1
- C3
- E♭5
- G♭♭7
- B♭9
- F13
- Notes
- 6
- Positions
- 4
- Span
- 21semitones
- Fingers
- 5 + 1-2-5
How to play A♭13 on piano
- Find A♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
- Left hand: play A♭ with the little finger (5), an octave below the right hand.
- Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on G♭, 5 on F.
- Leave out E♭, B♭: the chord is still recognisable without it, and the hand stays relaxed.
- Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
Root position · A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F
1st inversion · C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F – A♭
2nd inversion · E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F – A♭ – C
3rd inversion · G♭ – B♭ – F – A♭ – C – E♭
This chord has more notes than one hand holds comfortably; see the two-hand voicing below.
A♭13 inversions
Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on A♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.
- Root positionbass: A♭A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F
- 1st inversionbass: CC – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F – A♭
- 2nd inversionbass: E♭E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F – A♭ – C
- 3rd inversionbass: G♭G♭ – B♭ – F – A♭ – C – E♭
A♭13 with two hands
A practical voicing: the left hand plays A♭, the right hand plays the colour notes C–G♭–F. Notes that can be left out are left out.
A♭13 on other instruments
On guitar and ukulele A♭13 is usually simplified; you will find it on the root pages.
About the A♭13 chord
To build A flat thirteenth, take these 6 notes from the root up: A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5), G♭ (♭7), B♭ (9), F (13). A dominant thirteenth: a seventh chord with the thirteenth on top, often with the ninth. Pianists usually play the root, third, seventh and thirteenth.
The keys are A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F, counted up from A♭; the distance from the lowest to the highest key is 21 semitones. Few hands reach that far, so share A♭13 between both hands, with A♭ in the left.
In the inversions of A♭13 the root moves up and another note takes the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is C (C–E♭–G♭–B♭–F–A♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is E♭ (E♭–G♭–B♭–F–A♭–C). In the 3rd inversion the bass is G♭ (G♭–B♭–F–A♭–C–E♭).
Compared with A♭9, A♭13 has one more note, F.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭13 chord?
A♭13 (A flat thirteenth) has 6 notes: A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5), G♭ (♭7), B♭ (9), F (13).
How many inversions does A♭13 have?
A♭13 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (A♭–C–E♭–G♭–B♭–F); 1st inversion (C–E♭–G♭–B♭–F–A♭); 2nd inversion (E♭–G♭–B♭–F–A♭–C); 3rd inversion (G♭–B♭–F–A♭–C–E♭).
What is the difference between A♭13 and A♭9?
Compared with A♭9, A♭13 has one more note, F.
Can I play A♭13 with one hand?
In root position A♭13 spans 21 semitones, more than an octave. Play the root with the left hand and the upper notes with the right, or leave out the fifth.