E13 is a dominant 13th chord, and on the mandolin it is played from the notes E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C#. Its first mandolin voicing is the open position: G string at fret 1 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 4 (middle finger); E string open. This page is a complete reference for it: notes and intervals, fingerings, mistakes to avoid, the keys it belongs to and a short practice routine.
What notes are in the E13 chord?
The E13 chord is a dominant 13th chord, and its notes are fixed: E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C#. 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 E, so you can see the structure of E13 at a glance. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E13.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| E | Root |
| G# | 3 |
| B | 5 |
| D | b7 |
| F# | 9 |
| A | 11 |
| C# | 13 |
The root is E, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in E13 are 3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13. Those intervals are the fingerprint of the dominant 13th quality — any chord with the same interval pattern, on any root, is the same kind of chord. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
E13 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 E13 noticeably. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E13.
Comparing E13 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 13th against 11th: E13 adds the 13th C# on top of the 11th chord. It is the fullest dominant extension, and in practice several notes are omitted. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the mandolin, the open position of E13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play E13 on mandolin
On the mandolin, E13 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# — 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.
The open position is the voicing to learn if you want E13 in open position: G string at fret 1 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 4 (middle finger); E string open. 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 E13 — E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts E13 in around fret 9: G string at fret 9 (index finger); D string at fret 12 (ring finger); A string at fret 11 (middle finger); E string at fret 9 (index finger). It barres across strings 1 to 4 at fret 9 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 4 evenly at fret 9, 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 E13 — E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want E13 in around fret 4: G string at fret 6 (middle finger); D string open; A string at fret 7 (ring finger); E string at fret 4 (index finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 4 to fret 7, 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 E13 — E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of E13 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 E13 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of E13 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into E13 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 E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# in E13.
A short practice routine for E13 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above E 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 E13 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 E13 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 C# high. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E13.
Using it everywhere. E13 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 E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# in E13.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and E13 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 E13.
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 E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# in E13.
Where E13 is used
E13 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 A 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 A major, the key a perfect fourth above E, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where E13 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 E13.
Because E13 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 E 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 E13 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the open position of E13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in E13 on guitar, E13 on piano, E13 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the E major scale and the E minor pentatonic scale. Learning E13 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising E13
A short worked example makes E13 concrete. Play the four-chord progression A – E – F#m – D in A major, the key E13 most often resolves toward: A – E – F#m – D. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how E13 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 E13 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 E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C# in E13.
For a second exercise, play E13 and then the chord a fourth above E, 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 E13 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing E13 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C#. 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 of E13 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Frequently asked questions
Where is E13 used?
E13 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 E13 on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 1–0–4–0, fingers 1–0–2–0, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for E13, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is E13 hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of E13 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.
What is the easiest voicing of E13 on the mandolin?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for E13 on the mandolin: frets 1–0–4–0, fingers 1–0–2–0. 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 E13?
E13 contains E, G#, B, D, F#, A, C#: 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.