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A♭ Minor 13th

Minor 13th · A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F · intervals P1-m3-P5-m7-M9-P11-M13

The A♭ Minor 13th chord (A♭m13) contains the notes A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭, and F. Its interval formula is R-m3-P5-m7-M9-P11-M13. A minor 11th plus the 13th — rich and chromatic, common in modal jazz comping.

G♯ Minor 13th
This is the same chord as G♯ Minor 13th — the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with sharps.

At the keyboard

Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb · Db · F
Flashcards · Chord
Three questions on A♭ Minor 13th
Answer on the keyboard, not with buttons. No login required.
A♭m13

The A♭ Minor 13th chord is a seven-note chord made up of A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭, and F. It is built from a root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major ninth, perfect eleventh, and major thirteenth.

Construction

A♭ Minor 13th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Minor 7th + Major 2nd + Perfect 4th + Major 6th = A♭ · C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F
NoteIntervalDegree
A♭Root1
C♭Minor 3rd♭3
E♭Perfect 5th5
G♭Minor 7th♭7
B♭Major 2nd9
D♭Perfect 4th11
FMajor 6th13

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the A♭ Minor 13th is the tonic (i) chord of Ab Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, Cb Major7 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭).

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

BEADGCF

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of A♭ Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of the A♭ minor scale:

C1C2C3C4BC5C6C7C8G#D#
iA♭ Minor (minor)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1iA♭ MinorMinor
2ii°B♭ DiminishedDiminished
3IIIB MajorMajor
4ivD♭ MinorMinor
5vE♭ MinorMinor
6VIE MajorMajor
7VIIG♭ MajorMajor

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell the following:

A♭ Minor 13th — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the A♭ Minor 13th chord on piano?
The A♭ Minor 13th chord contains the notes A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What notes are in the Ab Minor 13th chord?
Practical voicing: Ab–Cb–Gb–Bb–F.
How does Abm13 differ from Ab13?
Abm13 has minor third (Cb). Ab13 has major third (C).
How is Abm13 used in music?
Richest ii in Gb Major. Jazz, neo-soul.
How does Abm13 differ from Abm11?
Adds the thirteenth (F) for brightness.
What songs use Minor 13th chords?
Modal jazz, neo-soul.
Do I need to play all seven notes?
No — Ab–Cb–Gb–Bb–F.

Related Tools

Chord FinderLook up any chord — see the notes, hear it, and play along.Chord DrillTimed drills to build speed and recognition across all chord types.Practice RoomPlug in a MIDI keyboard and get real-time feedback on every chord and scale.Circle of FifthsVisualize key relationships, relative minors, and key signatures.MIDI MonitorLive MIDI message stream with note names, velocity, and a scrolling staff.

References & Further Reading

The note names, intervals, fingering, and harmony on this chord page are grounded in the following sources. Public domain treatises and scores are linked to their full text; primary data is piano.org's own interval-derived reference dataset — continuously maintained and human-verified, with no fixed publication date.

  1. 1

    Jadassohn, Salomon(1883)

    A Manual of Harmony

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    Prout, Ebenezer(1889)

    Harmony: Its Theory and Practice

    Public domain treatise
  3. 3

    Goetschius, Percy(1889)

    The Material Used in Musical Composition

    Public domain treatise
  4. 4

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Entry reviewed and maintained by Justin Evans. Corrections are read and applied.Report an error

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