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G♭ Minor 13th

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

The G♭ Minor 13th chord (G♭m13) contains the notes G♭, B♭♭, D♭, F♭, A♭, C♭, and E♭. 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.

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

At the keyboard

Gb · Bbb · Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb
Flashcards · Chord
Three questions on G♭ Minor 13th
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G♭m13

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

Construction

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

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the G♭ Minor 13th is the tonic (i) chord of Gb Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, A Major3 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯).

F♯C♯G♯

Order of sharps

Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.

FCGDAEB

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of G♭ Minor

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

C1C2C3C4AC5C6C7C8F#C#
iG♭ Minor (minor)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1iG♭ MinorMinor
2ii°A♭ DiminishedDiminished
3IIIA MajorMajor
4ivB MinorMinor
5vD♭ MinorMinor
6VID MajorMajor
7VIIE MajorMajor

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes G♭ – B♭♭ – D♭ – F♭ – A♭ – C♭ – E♭ 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:

G♭ Minor 13th — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the G♭ Minor 13th chord on piano?
The G♭ Minor 13th chord contains the notes G♭ – B♭♭ – D♭ – F♭ – A♭ – C♭ – E♭. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What notes are in the Gb Minor 13th chord?
Practical voicing: Gb–Bbb–Fb–Ab–Eb. Enharmonic equivalent of F#m13.
How does Gbm13 differ from Gb13?
Gbm13 has minor third. Gb13 has major third.
How is Gbm13 used in music?
Enharmonic of F#m13, the ii in E Major.
How does Gbm13 differ from Gbm11?
Adds the thirteenth for brightness.
What songs use Minor 13th chords?
Modal jazz, neo-soul.
Do I need to play all seven notes?
No — use practical voicing.

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

    Goetschius, Percy(1889)

    The Material Used in Musical Composition

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    Riemann, Hugo(1896)

    Harmony Simplified (English translation)

    Public domain treatise
  3. 3

    Schubert, Franz(1827)

    Impromptu in G♭ major, Op. 90 No. 3 (D. 899)

    Public domain score
  4. 4

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