To play A13 on the piano, you need the notes A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#. On piano it is played from the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, root position first, then in inversions. This guide covers the dominant 13th chord in full: what is in it, how to play it cleanly on the piano, where it fits musically and how to practise it.
What notes are in the A13 chord?
The A13 chord is a dominant 13th chord, and its notes are fixed: A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#. 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 A, so you can see the structure of A13 at a glance. On the piano, A13 is the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| A | Root |
| C# | 3 |
| E | 5 |
| G | b7 |
| B | 9 |
| D | 11 |
| F# | 13 |
The root is A, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in A13 are 3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13. That combination is what makes A13 sound the way it does: the intervals decide the colour, and the root decides the pitch. On the piano, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
A13 sounds warm and jazzy, the sound of a dominant chord with every colour note stacked on top. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the piano, play the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F# slowly and listen for each note of A13 in turn.
Comparing A13 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 13th against 11th: A13 adds the 13th F# 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 A13, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the piano, play the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F# slowly and listen for each note of A13 in turn.
How to play A13 on piano
On the piano, A13 is played from the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#. In root position the lowest note is A, the root, with the other notes stacked above it in the order A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#. Play it with the right hand first, then with the left hand an octave lower, so both hands know the shape of A13 before you try it in a progression.
First inversion of A13 puts C# in the bass, with the notes in the order C#, E, G, B, D, F#, A. The chord is still A13 — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to C# rather than jump to A, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
Second inversion of A13 puts E in the bass, with the notes in the order E, G, B, D, F#, A, C#. The chord is still A13 — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to E rather than jump to A, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
Third inversion of A13 puts G in the bass, with the notes in the order G, B, D, F#, A, C#, E. The chord is still A13 — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to G rather than jump to A, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
Because A13 has 7 notes, it has further inversions beyond the third, each one putting a different chord tone in the bass. The principle stays the same: the notes are always A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversion you choose is the one whose bass note makes the smoothest line through the progression. Try the Chord Inverter to see every inversion of A13 on the keyboard.
For fingering, a good starting point for A13 in root position in the right hand is thumb on A, then one finger per note in order, with the little finger on the top note F#. For the left hand, mirror it: little finger on the low A and thumb on the top note. When a note is a black key — C#, F# — let your longer fingers take it, since they reach the black keys more easily. Practise A13 in root position and first inversion, hands separately, then together, at a slow tempo, and use the Piano Chord Finder to check the voicing on the keyboard.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make A13 sound wrong on the piano, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Playing every inversion with the same hand shape. Each inversion of A13 needs its own hand shape, because the notes sit under different fingers. If you force the root-position fingering onto an inversion, the hand cramps and notes get missed. Learn the fingering for each inversion of A13 separately, hands apart, before you join them. On the piano, play the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F# slowly and listen for each note of A13 in turn.
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 piano, A13 is the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Playing the 11th and 3rd together. As in the 11th chord, C# and D clash. Omit one of them. On the piano, the root-position keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F# show A13 most clearly.
Voicing it too low. Low extensions sound muddy. Spread the chord across octaves and keep the 13th F# high. On the piano, A13 is the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Where A13 is used
A13 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 D major, the key of E major, the key of A major. a chord for open, spread voicings — it needs space for all its notes. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward D major, the key a perfect fourth above A, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where A13 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the piano, A13 is the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Because A13 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 A 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 A13 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the piano, A13 is the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in A13 on guitar, A13 on ukulele, A13 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the A major scale and the A minor pentatonic scale. Learning A13 on the piano and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — A, C#, E, G, B, D, F# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising A13
A short worked example makes A13 concrete. Play the four-chord progression D – A – Bm – G in D major, the key A13 most often resolves toward: D – A – Bm – G. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how A13 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 A13 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the piano, play the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F# slowly and listen for each note of A13 in turn.
For a second exercise, play A13 and then the chord a fourth above A, 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 A13 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing A13 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#. 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 piano, A13 is the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play A13 on the piano?
In root position, play the keys A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#, with A as the lowest note. That is the basic shape of A13 on the piano. The inversions above put a different note in the bass, and the Chord Inverter shows every inversion of A13 on the keyboard.
What is the first inversion of A13?
The first inversion of A13 puts C# in the bass, with the notes in the order C#, E, G, B, D, F#, A. The chord is still A13 — only the bass note has changed — and it is the inversion to use when the bass line steps to C#.
Which fingers do you use for A13 on piano?
In the right hand, start with the thumb on A and one finger per note in order, ending with the little finger on F#. In the left hand, mirror it with the little finger on the low A. Longer fingers take the black keys, so check which notes of A13 are black keys before you settle on a fingering.
What notes are in A13?
A13 contains A, C#, E, G, B, D, F#: 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 piano, the keys above put that note under your fingers.
Which notes can I drop from A13?
The 5th (E) first, then the 9th (B) and the 11th (D). The root, 3rd (C#), 7th (G) and 13th (F#) define the chord. On the piano, the keys above put that note under your fingers.