The 11th and 13th — the roof of tension

Yesterday you tinted with the 9th. Today you climb higher and meet the 11th and the 13th. The 9th, 11th, and 13th are the roof of tension stacked on top of a chord. Even the same chord changes color completely by which tension you lay on the roof. The 11th is the 4th raised an octave; the 13th is the 6th raised an octave. On Dm, the 11th is G; on a G chord, the 13th is E.

Today's lead is the 13th. The roof of the G13 you learned last week already had the 13th (E) laid on it. Lay just one 13th onto a flat G7, and it opens right up into a warm, wide sound. So today you'll ring G7 → G13 side by side and catch by ear how the sound widens when the 13th is added.

The 11th you'll just taste on the Dm side. Dm11 swaps Dm9's roof for the 11th (G), giving a slightly wider, more open color. Today, don't be greedy — focus on telling the 13th's open color apart clearly. First, let's carve the 11th's location into your eye with the Dm11 grip.

▶ Dm11 — the 11th (G) laid on the roof. 1st string 3rd fret — the 4th raised an octave.

Now look again at today's lead, G13. The 13th (E) on the roof makes this chord's open color. One note — 2nd string 5th fret — throws the G chord wide open.

▶ G13 — R, b7, 3 with the 13th (E) laid on as the roof.

To feel the 13th's color for sure, hearing it side by side with a G7 (no 13th) is best. The moment the 13th enters in bar 2, you hear the sound widen by a hand's breadth.

▶ BPM 72. Bar 1 G7, bar 2 lays the 13th (E) on as the roof for G13. Hear the moment the sound opens up.

0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 60. Warm your hand by grabbing G7 and G13 in turn. Try the 2nd string 5th fret (the 13th) going in and out.

10–20 min · Brain training (telling the 13th's color apart) With the left hand only, silently move G7 → G13. Check with your eyes how the hand shape widens when the 13th (2nd string) is laid on.

20–40 min · Real vamp (BPM 72) Repeat the four bars below. Bar 2 is a flat G7, bar 4 is the G13 with tension laid on. Chase by ear the moment the color throws wide open with one 13th in the same spot.

▶ BPM 72. Dm9 → G7 → Dm9 → G13. In the last bar the 13th's open color blooms.

40–50 min · Recording / self-feedback (recommended) Record 30 seconds and listen back. Check whether G7 and G13 sound like different widths.

Done when: You can ring G7 and G13 in turn and tell the open color the 13th makes apart by ear.

Here are just the mistakes that show up most when handling the 13th.

▶ The 13th (E) is the 2nd string 5th fret — the 6th raised an octave from the root.

• The 13th gets buried. The 2nd string 5th fret must ring clearly for the open color to come out.
• The 11th and 13th get confused. Memorize the spots separately: 11 = the 4th spot (1st string 3rd fret), 13 = the 6th spot (2nd string 5th fret).
• G7 and G13 sound the same. Drop the BPM to 55 and ring one chord at a time long.
• Your hand gets stiff. If force piles onto the pinky on the 2nd string, lower the wrist a little.