ii–V–I in a major key
ii7 | V7 | Imaj7 | Imaj7
The building block of jazz harmony. ii7 sets up V7, whose tritone resolves into the tonic.
Ukulele · chord progressions
Jazz chord progressions
The progressions jazz is built from, in seventh chords: the ii–V–I in major and minor, the turnarounds that end a tune, and the jazz blues. Pick a key and press Play to hear each on ukulele.
Style
Key
Chords
Colours
homehome, minorthe pullthe doorthe shadowrestlesshalf-lightthe edgethe acheheroiccinematicthe liftsoft fallcolour
What each chord does in its key. Press a chord to hear it and read more.ii–V–i in a minor key
iiø7 | V7 | i6 | i6
The minor version: a half-diminished ii, a dominant V7 from the harmonic minor, and a minor sixth tonic.
The I–vi–ii–V turnaround
Imaj7 | vi7 | ii7 | V7
Played at the end of a tune to lead back to its start, and as the A section of countless standards.
iii–vi–ii–V
iii7 | vi7 | ii7 | V7
A longer turnaround, a fifth at each step, landing on I.
Turnaround with dominants
Imaj7 | VI7 | ii7 | V7
The vi chord turned into VI7, a dominant that pulls harder to ii, as in rhythm changes.
The backdoor ii–V
iv7 | ♭VII7 | Imaj7 | Imaj7
Home from the other side: iv7 and ♭VII7, borrowed from the minor key, resolving to I.
The jazz blues
I7 | IV7 | I7 | v7 I7 | IV7 | ♯iv°7 | I7 | VI7 | ii7 | V7 | I7 VI7 | ii7 V7
The 12 bar blues with jazz chords: a ii–V into IV, a passing diminished chord, and ii–V turnarounds.
Rhythm changes, the A section
Imaj7 vi7 | ii7 V7 | Imaj7 vi7 | ii7 V7 | Imaj7 I7 | IV7 iv7 | Imaj7 V7 | Imaj7
Turnarounds two chords to a bar, then I7 to IV and the minor iv: the A section of countless bebop tunes.
The tritone substitution
ii7 | ♭II7 | Imaj7 | Imaj7
V7 replaced by the dominant a tritone away, ♭II7, which shares its tritone and slides down a half step to I.
The minor turnaround
i7 | VI7 | iiø7 | V7
The I–vi–ii–V of a minor key: minor tonic, a dominant on ♭VI, half-diminished ii and V7.
iii–VI7–ii–V
iii7 | VI7 | ii7 | V7
A turnaround with a dominant on VI, each chord pulling down a fifth to the next.
The II7 lift
Imaj7 | Imaj7 | II7 | II7 | ii7 | V7 | Imaj7 | Imaj7
A dominant on the second degree, a step above home, then the ii–V back: the bright lift of bossa nova.
The modal vamp
i7 | i7 | i7 | i7 | ♭ii7 | ♭ii7 | i7 | i7
One minor seventh for bars on end, then the same chord a half step higher: modal jazz, where the scale matters more than the changes.
Round the circle of fifths
ii7 | V7 | Imaj7 | IVmaj7 | viiø7 | III7 | vi7 | vi7
Every chord of the key, each a fifth from the last, landing on the relative minor: the cycle many standards are built on.
No progression matches. or search every progression ›
Why is the ii–V–I so important?
Most jazz standards are strings of ii–V–Is moving through different keys. V7 holds a tritone (in G7, B and F) that wants to resolve inward to the tonic’s third and root, and ii7 leads into V7 a fifth above the next. Learn to hear it and to play it in every key, and most jazz tunes fall into place.
How to practise these
Play each progression slowly in one key, then move it round the keys. Keep the chords close together on the neck: on guitar, the shapes with the root on the sixth and fifth strings let each chord move to the next by a fret or two. Then add the ninths and thirteenths jazz players colour these chords with.
What is a turnaround?
Two bars at the end of a tune, or a section, that lead back to its start, most often I–vi–ii–V. Jazz players vary them freely, turning vi into VI7 or putting dominant chords on every step.
More: the 12 bar blues, common chord progressions, the Nashville number system.