Definition
Continuing to stack thirds above the ninth gives the eleventh (G–B–D–F–A–C) and the thirteenth (G–B–D–F–A–C–E). On the dominant they contain all seven notes of the scale: for this reason in practice they are never played complete, and many theorists regard them as seventh or ninth chords with appoggiaturas or unresolved suspensions. In 19th- and early 20th-century harmony, and later in jazz, they become independent chords.
The dominant eleventh
- The eleventh (C) lies a semitone above the third (B) at the distance of a minor ninth: a very strong friction. For this reason the third is almost always omitted.
- Typical spacing: G (bass) – F – A – C, that is, an F triad over G: F/G (IV/V).
- The effect is a soft, suspended dominant without a leading tone: the dominant function comes from the bass, the color from the subdominant above.
- In the classical style the eleventh is explained as a prolonged 4-3 suspension over the dominant (C that should fall to B).
The dominant thirteenth
- In four voices you keep root, third, seventh and thirteenth: G – B – F – E (thirteenth in the soprano).
- The thirteenth (E) can:
- stay as a common tone: the E becomes the third of the tonic (G13 → C), the smoothest solution;
- fall a third to the tonic (E → C), a melodic gesture typical of the upper voice;
- fall by step to D before the chord change: it behaves like an appoggiatura on the fifth and the chord becomes a V7.
- The minor thirteenth (Eb) is used before a minor tonic.
Telling thirteenth and added sixth apart
A G–B–E–F with G in the bass and E on top is a thirteenth if the seventh (F) is present; without the seventh (G–B–D–E) it is a sixth chord (G6), with a different function and color.
Practical rules
- In the eleventh, remove the third; in the thirteenth, remove the fifth, ninth and eleventh.
- Keep the tension (11th or 13th) in the top voice, where it is perceived as color and not as an error.
- Don't use these chords in inversion: they lose their identity.
- In jazz the natural eleventh on the dominant is often replaced with the augmented eleventh (#11), which doesn't clash with the third.
Typical mistakes
- Playing the eleventh with the third in the middle register: it sounds like a mistake.
- Doubling the thirteenth in the low register: the chord becomes muddy.
- Analyzing any chord with a sixth as a thirteenth: check for the presence of the seventh.
Examples
- Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune: a dominant thirteenth chord appears, used for its color more than its function.
- Ravel and Debussy: eleventh and thirteenth chords often suspended, moving in parallel without resolving.
- Soul, gospel and pop ballads: the IV/V chord (F/G in C) before the tonic is the dominant eleventh without the third; it is also one of the most used dominants in video-game music and J-pop.
- Jazz: the symbol G13 indicates precisely the dominant thirteenth with third, seventh and thirteenth.
How to use it in composition
- Replace a V7 with IV/V for a softer, more modern cadence.
- Use the thirteenth with the E in the top voice when the melody arrives on the third of the tonic: the E is already present in the dominant and the resolution becomes smooth.
- In a pad, stacking a triad over the dominant bass (F/G, E min/G, D min/G) is the simplest way to get good-sounding elevenths and thirteenths.
Exercise
- Write in Bb major the cadence ii – V11 (Eb/F) – I.
- Write in four voices V13 – I in C with the thirteenth staying as the third of the tonic.
- Program three different dominants before the same tonic (V7, IV/V, V13) and compare them.
Related topics
Extensions and tensions (9, 11, 13); Sus, add, slash and hybrid chords; Upper structure triads; Dominant ninth chord; Impressionist harmony; Suspensions.