The Jazz ii–V–I
If you learn one progression in jazz, it's this. The ii–V–I is the cadence that most jazz standards are built from — sometimes for a whole tune. Understand it and huge swaths of the repertoire suddenly make sense.
The Core Idea: root motion in fourths
Each chord's root is a fourth above the last: ii → V → I. That falling-fifths motion is the strongest pull in tonal music. Add the fact that the chords' guide tones(their 3rds and 7ths) move by just a semitone or stay put, and you get a line that feels like it's being drawn home.
Key
Major ii–V–I
The backbone of jazz. ii and V are both a fourth apart from the next chord — the strongest possible root motion — and it all lands on the tonic Imaj7.
Extended: ii9–V13–Imaj9
The same three chords with extensions added — the fuller, richer voicing sound of modern jazz comping.
Minor ii–V–i
In a minor key the ii becomes half-diminished (m7♭5) and the V takes a ♭9 for extra pull. Darker and more dramatic, resolving to a minor tonic.
Tritone sub: ii–♭II7–I
Replace the V7 with a dominant 7th a tritone away (♭II7). It shares the same guide tones as V7 but gives a smooth chromatic bass line down into the tonic.
Why it works: guide tones
The 3rd and 7th of each chord — the guide tones — carry the harmony. Across a ii–V–I they barely move: the 7th of one chord falls a semitone to become the 3rd of the next. That tiny, inevitable motion is the engine of the whole progression, and it's all you need to comp convincingly.
Keep common tones and move the rest by the smallest interval. Your comping instantly sounds smoother.
Everything interesting happens on the V7 — extensions, alterations, and the tritone sub all live here.
Standards often string ii–Vs together, each resolving to the next key. Spot them and you can read the changes.
Chord Reference (in C)
| Progression | Chords |
|---|---|
| Major ii–V–I | Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7 |
| Extended: ii9–V13–Imaj9 | Dm9 → G9 → Cmaj9 |
| Minor ii–V–i | Dm7♭5 → G7♭9 → Cm7 |
| Tritone sub: ii–♭II7–I | Dm7 → C#7 → Cmaj7 |
Go deeper
Build the voicings in the Chord Visualizer, or learn the alterations that live on the V7.