Pedal Steel Atlas

E9 pedal steel chord

A♭maj13 on pedal steel

A♭ major 13th (A-flat major 13th, Abmaj13) · also written G♯maj13 · 840 voicings on standard E9

Easiest A♭maj13 on E9 pedal steel: bar on fret 4, press A pedal, pick strings 2, 3, 4 & 5 (G–C–A♭–F).

  • A♭, root
  • C, 3rd
  • E♭, 5th
  • G, 7th
  • B♭, 9th
  • F, 13th

Where you’ll hear it: A very lush major chord for jazz ballads and slow endings.

Start here: 2 grips to learn first

Every move is described by what it does to the strings, so these work on any E9 guitar. If your levers are wired differently, use the one that makes the same change.

Fret 4 · A pedal

Easiest
  1. Bar on fret 4 (or 16)
  2. Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
  3. Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — G C A♭ F
Tab:
string 2fret 4
string 3fret 4
string 4fret 4
string 5fret 4A
Open in the app →

Fret 6 · B + C pedals

Pedals
  1. Bar on fret 6 (or 18)
  2. Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
  3. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  4. Pick strings 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 — G E♭ C B♭ A♭ F
Tab:
string 5fret 6C
string 6fret 6B
string 7fret 6
string 8fret 6
string 9fret 6
string 10fret 6
Open in the app →

More grips up the neck

Low neck · frets 0–7

Fret 4 · C pedal

  1. Bar on fret 4 (or 16)
  2. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  3. Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 — G C B♭ F C A♭

Fret 6 · C pedal + G♯→F♯ lever

  1. Bar on fret 6 (or 18)
  2. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  3. Push a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  4. Pick strings 5 · 6 · 8 · 9 · 10 — G C B♭ A♭ F
  • Needs a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar.

Fret 4 · A pedal + E→E♭ lever + D♯→E lever

  1. Bar on fret 4 (or 16)
  2. Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
  3. Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
  4. Push a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  5. Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — A♭ C G F
  • Needs a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.

Mid neck · frets 5–12

Fret 11 · B + C pedals + F♯→G♯ + D♯→E lever

  1. Bar on fret 11 (or 23)
  2. Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
  3. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  4. Push a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  5. Pick strings 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — G E♭ A♭ F C
  • Needs a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.

High neck · frets 10–17

Fret 16 · A pedal

  1. Bar on fret 16 (or 4)
  2. Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
  3. Pick strings 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — B♭ G C A♭ F

Fret 16 · A pedal + E→E♭ lever + D♯→E + G♯→F♯ lever

  1. Bar on fret 16 (or 4)
  2. Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
  3. Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
  4. Push a lever that changes strings 2 (D♯→E) & 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  5. Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 — A♭ C G F B♭
  • Needs a lever that changes strings 2 (D♯→E) & 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar.

Is your guitar set up differently?

Players wire their knee levers in different places, so this page names every change by what it does. Find the pedal or lever on your guitar that makes the same change — the name on yours doesn’t matter.

ChangeWhat it does · usually found
A pedalB→C♯Raises your B strings (5 & 10) a whole step to C♯.Usually: the A pedal on almost every E9 guitar
B pedalG♯→ARaises your G♯ strings (3 & 6) a half step to A.Usually: the B pedal on almost every E9 guitar
C pedalE→F♯ + B→C♯Raises string 4 (E) to F♯ and string 5 (B) to C♯ — a whole step each.Usually: the C pedal on almost every E9 guitar
E→E♭ leverE→E♭Lowers your E strings (4 & 8) a half step to E♭.Usually: left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
F♯ & D♯ raise leverF♯→G♯ + D♯→E + G♯→F♯Raises string 1 (F♯) a whole step to G♯ and string 2 (D♯) a half step to E, and lowers string 6 (G♯) a whole step to F♯.Usually: right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitarsNot on every guitarOlder and student guitars often raise strings 1 & 7 F♯→G instead, and some players keep the 6th-string lower on another lever.

Pick your setup in Pedal Steel Atlas (it's free) — one of the built-in copedents, or your own exact one — and it re-voices every chord for your pedals and levers — open A♭maj13 in the app → or compare common setups.

How to read the diagrams

  • Diamond = the root (the note the chord is named after). Other notes are colored by their job in the chord, like the chips above.
  • Blue string = a pedal or lever changes it. The label on the left shows the new note (E→F).
  • Dashed line = the bar. Lay the steel directly over that fret, not between frets.
  • Colored pedal or lever = press it. String 1 is the one farthest from you; string 10 is nearest.

Keep exploring

More A♭ / G♯ chords

Major 13th in every key

Pedal Steel Atlas

Every A♭maj13 voicing — on your guitar

  • Your setup. Pick a built-in copedent — or build your exact one, free — and every chord re-voices for your guitar.
  • Real steel tone. Hear every grip and the pedal moves between them.
  • Find the one you need. Filter by top note, bass string, or the changes you want to avoid.
  • From chord to tab. Drop any grip into a tab and play it back.
Open A♭maj13 in the appRuns right in your browser — nothing to install.