B major thirteenth

Bmaj13

Also written BM13 · BΔ13

NotesB · D♯ · F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · G♯
Formula1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9 · 13
B1D♯3F♯5A♯7C♯9G♯13
All its notes, from the root

The major 7th with 9 and 13 added: every note of B major except the 4th, which would clash with the 3rd. A tonic — the fullest one there is.

How pianists voice Bmaj13

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

B1D♯3A♯7

1 · 3 · 7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

D♯3G♯13A♯7C♯9

3 · 13 · 7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without B underneath, the same keys read as E♭7sus4 — the bass turns them into Bmaj13.

Rootless B From the 7th

A♯7C♯9D♯3G♯13

7 · 9 · 3 · 13 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves. Without B underneath, the same keys read as B♭m11 — the bass turns them into Bmaj13.

Drop 2 Two hands

B1G♯13D♯3A♯7

13 · 1 · 3 · 7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

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