The C13 guitar chord is a dominant 13th chord with the notes C, E, G, A#, D, F, A. Its first guitar voicing is the open position: low E string open; A string open; D string open; G string at fret 3 (middle finger); B string at fret 1 (index finger); high e string open. Whether you are learning it for the first time or checking a voicing, this page has the notes, the guitar fingerings, the inversions and alternatives, and the progressions it appears in.
What notes are in the C13 chord?
The C13 chord is a dominant 13th chord, and its notes are fixed: C, E, G, A#, D, F, A. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root C, so you can see the structure of C13 at a glance. On the guitar, the open position of C13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| C | Root |
| E | 3 |
| G | 5 |
| A# | b7 |
| D | 9 |
| F | 11 |
| A | 13 |
The root is C, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in C13 are 3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13. That combination is what makes C13 sound the way it does: the intervals decide the colour, and the root decides the pitch. On the guitar, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
C13 sounds lush, rich and fully extended — the 13th chord is the widest dominant colour in common use. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of C13 noticeably. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in C13.
Comparing C13 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 13th against 11th: C13 adds the 13th A on top of the 11th chord. It is the fullest dominant extension, and in practice several notes are omitted. Hearing the comparison matters more than reading it: play C13, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the guitar, the open position of C13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play C13 on guitar
On the guitar, C13 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — C, E, G, A#, D, F, A — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
Another way to play C13 is the open position, in open position: low E string open; A string open; D string open; G string at fret 3 (middle finger); B string at fret 1 (index finger); high e string open. This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 1 to fret 3, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in C13 — C, E, G, A#, D, F, A — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want C13 in open position: low E string open; A string open; D string open; G string at fret 3 (middle finger); B string at fret 1 (index finger); high e string at fret 1 (index finger). It barres across strings 5 to 6 at fret 1 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 5 to 6 evenly at fret 1, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in C13 — C, E, G, A#, D, F, A — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want C13 in around fret 5: low E string at fret 8 (middle finger); A string open; D string at fret 8 (ring finger); G string open; B string at fret 5 (index finger); high e string open. The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 5 to fret 8, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in C13 — C, E, G, A#, D, F, A — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of C13 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide C13 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of C13 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into C13 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in C13.
A short practice routine for C13 on the guitar: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above C and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Guitar Chord Finder to see the diagram for C13 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make C13 sound wrong on the guitar, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Playing the 11th and 3rd together. As in the 11th chord, E and F clash. Omit one of them. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes C, E, G, A#, D, F, A in C13.
Voicing it too low. Low extensions sound muddy. Spread the chord across octaves and keep the 13th A high. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in C13.
Using it everywhere. C13 is a special-occasion chord. Save it for turnarounds and final dominants, where its richness earns its place. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in C13.
Barre collapsing on the high strings. In a barre voicing of C13, the high strings are the ones that buzz first, because the index finger presses hardest near the thumb. If the top notes of C13 sound dead, roll the barring finger slightly toward the fret and press from the arm, not from squeezing the neck. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes C, E, G, A#, D, F, A in C13.
Where C13 is used
C13 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of C major, the key of F major, the key of G major. a chord for open, spread voicings — it needs space for all its notes. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward F major, the key a perfect fourth above C, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where C13 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the guitar, the open position of C13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Because C13 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain C triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try C13 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the guitar, the open position of C13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in C13 on piano, C13 on ukulele, C13 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the C major scale and the C minor pentatonic scale. Learning C13 on the guitar and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — C, E, G, A#, D, F, A — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising C13
A short worked example makes C13 concrete. Play the four-chord progression F – C – Dm – A# in F major, the key C13 most often resolves toward: F – C – Dm – A#. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how C13 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on C13 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the guitar, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in C13.
For a second exercise, play C13 and then the chord a fourth above C, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move C13 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing C13 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: C, E, G, A#, D, F, A. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the guitar, the open position of C13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Frequently asked questions
Where is C13 used?
C13 is a V13 chord in jazz, used as the richest dominant before a resolution to the tonic. It appears in jazz standards, turnarounds and final cadences. On the guitar, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you play C13 on the guitar?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 0–0–0–3–1–0, fingers 0–0–0–2–1–0, on the guitar. That voicing uses the notes C, E, G, A#, D, F, A, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for C13, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is C13 hard to play on the guitar?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of C13 on the guitar is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of C13 on the guitar?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for C13 on the guitar: frets 0–0–0–3–1–0, fingers 0–0–0–2–1–0. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
What notes are in C13?
C13 contains C, E, G, A#, D, F, A: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, flattened 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th. In real voicings several notes are omitted — the essential ones are the root, 3rd, 7th and 13th. On the guitar, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.