The B13 mandolin chord is built from the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#. Its first mandolin voicing is the open position: G string at fret 4 (middle finger); D string at fret 1 (index finger); A string open; E string at fret 4 (ring finger). It is a dominant 13th chord, and this page gives you its exact notes, the fingerings that work on the mandolin, the mistakes to avoid and the progressions it appears in.
What notes are in the B13 chord?
The B13 chord is a dominant 13th chord, and its notes are fixed: B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#. 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 B, so you can see the structure of B13 at a glance. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in B13.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| B | Root |
| D# | 3 |
| F# | 5 |
| A | b7 |
| C# | 9 |
| E | 11 |
| G# | 13 |
The root is B, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in B13 are 3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13. Learn those intervals rather than memorising the shape alone, because the same interval pattern transposed to another root gives you the same quality of chord anywhere. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
B13 sounds warm and jazzy, the sound of a dominant chord with every colour note stacked on top. 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 B13 noticeably. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# in B13.
Comparing B13 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 13th against 11th: B13 adds the 13th G# 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 B13, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# in B13.
How to play B13 on mandolin
On the mandolin, B13 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# — in a different place on the neck. There are 3 voicings listed for B13 on the mandolin; learn the first, then add the others as you need them. 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 B13 is the open position, in open position: G string at fret 4 (middle finger); D string at fret 1 (index finger); A string open; E string at fret 4 (ring finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 1 to fret 4, 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 B13 — B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play B13 is the barre chord, in around fret 4: G string at fret 4 (index finger); D string at fret 7 (ring finger); A string at fret 6 (middle finger); E string at fret 4 (index finger). It barres across strings 1 to 4 at fret 4 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 4 evenly at fret 4, 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 B13 — B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play B13 is the movable voicing, in around fret 4: G string at fret 4 (index finger); D string at fret 6 (ring finger); A string at fret 6 (ring finger); E string at fret 5 (middle finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 4 to fret 6, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in B13 — B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of B13 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 B13 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of B13 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into B13 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# in B13.
A short practice routine for B13 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above B 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 Mandolin Chord Finder to see the diagram for B13 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 B13 sound wrong on the mandolin, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Voicing it too low. Low extensions sound muddy. Spread the chord across octaves and keep the 13th G# high. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in B13.
Using it everywhere. B13 is a special-occasion chord. Save it for turnarounds and final dominants, where its richness earns its place. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# in B13.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and B13 needs both strings of each course to sound. If one string of a pair is muted by a neighbouring finger, the chord sounds thin. Check each course separately by plucking it on its own. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in B13.
Trying to play all seven notes. Seven notes cannot fit in most voicings. Keep the root, 3rd, 7th and 13th, and drop the 5th, 9th and 11th as needed. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# in B13.
Where B13 is used
B13 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 E major, the key of F# major, the key of B major. the richest V chord in jazz, resolving to the tonic with maximum colour. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward E major, the key a perfect fourth above B, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where B13 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in B13.
Because B13 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 B 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 B13 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in B13.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in B13 on guitar, B13 on piano, B13 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the B major scale and the B minor pentatonic scale. Learning B13 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising B13
A short worked example makes B13 concrete. Play the four-chord progression E – B – C#m – A in E major, the key B13 most often resolves toward: E – B – C#m – A. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how B13 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 B13 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G# in B13.
For a second exercise, play B13 and then the chord a fourth above B, 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 B13 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing B13 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#. 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 mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in B13.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in B13?
B13 contains B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#: 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 mandolin, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
Which notes can I drop from B13?
The 5th (F#) first, then the 9th (C#) and the 11th (E). The root, 3rd (D#), 7th (A) and 13th (G#) define the chord. On the mandolin, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
Where is B13 used?
B13 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 mandolin, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
How do you play B13 on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 4–1–0–4, fingers 2–1–0–3, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes B, D#, F#, A, C#, E, G#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for B13, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is B13 hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of B13 on the mandolin 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.