HearmonyThe ii–V–I Progression: How It Works in Major and Minor
A ii–V–I progression plays the chords built on the second, fifth and first degrees of a key. In C major that is Dm7–G7–Cmaj7, or Dm–G–C with plain triads. The roots fall by fifths (D to G to C) and the dominant chord resolves home, which makes it the most common cadence in jazz and a regular ending in classical and pop music.
What is a ii–V–I progression?
The ii–V–I is a three-chord move from a predominant chord (ii) to the dominant (V) to the tonic (I). The Roman numerals follow the usual convention: lowercase ii because the chord on the second degree is minor, uppercase V and I because those chords are major.
In jazz the chords are almost always played as seventh chords: a minor seventh on ii, a dominant seventh on V and a major seventh on I. In classical music the same move shows up with triads, often with ii in first inversion (F in the bass in C major) leading to V and then I at the end of a phrase. The function is the same in both styles: leave home, build tension, resolve.
The ii–V–I in major keys
In a major key, ii–V–I is ii7–V7–Imaj7. Here it is in five common keys, with every chord spelled out.
| Key | ii7 | V7 | Imaj7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major | Dm7 (D F A C) | G7 (G B D F) | Cmaj7 (C E G B) |
| F major | Gm7 (G B♭ D F) | C7 (C E G B♭) | Fmaj7 (F A C E) |
| B♭ major | Cm7 (C E♭ G B♭) | F7 (F A C E♭) | B♭maj7 (B♭ D F A) |
| E♭ major | Fm7 (F A♭ C E♭) | B♭7 (B♭ D F A♭) | E♭maj7 (E♭ G B♭ D) |
| G major | Am7 (A C E G) | D7 (D F♯ A C) | Gmaj7 (G B D F♯) |
Every note in each row comes from the major scale of that key. That is why the progression sounds so settled: nothing in it fights the key until the composer adds alterations.
The minor ii–V–i
In a minor key the progression becomes iiø7–V7–i: a half-diminished seventh on ii, a dominant seventh on V and a minor chord on i. In C minor that is Dm7♭5 (D F A♭ C), G7 (G B D F) and Cm.
The ii chord is half-diminished because the second degree of C minor stacks D, F, A♭ and C: a diminished triad plus a minor seventh. The V chord borrows the raised seventh degree of harmonic minor (B natural instead of B♭) so it has a leading tone pulling up to C. The tonic is often played as Cm7, Cm6 (C E♭ G A) or a plain triad.
| Key | iiø7 | V7 | i |
|---|---|---|---|
| C minor | Dm7♭5 (D F A♭ C) | G7 (G B D F) | Cm7 (C E♭ G B♭) |
| A minor | Bm7♭5 (B D F A) | E7 (E G♯ B D) | Am7 (A C E G) |
| G minor | Am7♭5 (A C E♭ G) | D7 (D F♯ A C) | Gm7 (G B♭ D F) |
Players often add a flat ninth to the minor V7 (A♭ on G7, making G7♭9), because A♭ is already in the C minor scale. It makes the dominant darker and the arrival on i stronger.
Why does the ii–V–I work?
The ii–V–I works because of two forces: roots falling by fifths and a dominant chord that has to resolve.
- Root motion by fifths. D down a fifth is G, G down a fifth is C. Root movement by a falling fifth (or rising fourth) is the strongest chord change in tonal music, and ii–V–I does it twice in a row. On the circle of fifths, the three roots sit next to each other.
- The tritone in V7. G7 contains B and F, an interval of three whole steps. That tritone is unstable and resolves inward: B up to C, F down to E. Those two resolutions are the sound of "arriving home".
- ii prepares V. Dm7 shares two notes with G7 (D and F) but has no tritone, so it leans toward V without giving the ending away.
Ending a phrase with V–I is an authentic cadence; the ii in front makes the approach smoother. The page on cadences in music compares it with the plagal, half and deceptive endings.
Voice leading: how the sevenths move
In a ii7–V7–Imaj7, the third and seventh of each chord, called guide tones, move by a half step or not at all. Play only those two notes and you can hear the whole progression.
| Chord | Third | Seventh | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | F | C | F stays (becomes the 7th of G7); C falls to B |
| G7 | B | F | B stays (becomes the 7th of Cmaj7); F falls to E |
| Cmaj7 | E | B | Home |
The pattern is the same in every key: the third of one chord holds and becomes the seventh of the next, and the seventh steps down a half step to become the next third. This is why pianists can play ii–V–I with tiny hand movements, and why a bass line plus two guide tones is enough to outline it. For the chord types themselves, see the guide to seventh chords.
On a keyboard, play the guide tones in the right hand (F–C, F–B, E–B) and the roots in the left (D, G, C). Then play the same shapes in F (Gm7–C7–Fmaj7) and B♭ (Cm7–F7–B♭maj7), moving around the circle of fifths. Two keys a day covers all twelve in six days.
Variations and where you hear the ii–V–I
The ii–V–I is everywhere in jazz standards and the Great American Songbook. "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Satin Doll" are built on repeated ii–V moves, and "Autumn Leaves" (in G minor, its usual jazz key) opens with a major ii–V–I in B♭ (Cm7–F7–B♭maj7) followed by a minor one in G (Am7♭5–D7–Gm).
- I–vi–ii–V: the turnaround. In C: C–Am–Dm–G, looping back to C. It is a ii–V–I with two chords in front, and the doo-wop I–vi–IV–V is a close cousin.
- ii–V without the I: many tunes chain ii–V pairs through several keys before landing, such as Em7–A7 then Dm7–G7 before Cmaj7.
- Tritone substitution: replace V7 with the dominant a tritone away. In C, Dm7–D♭7–Cmaj7: D♭7 (D♭ F A♭ C♭, the C♭ sounding as B) keeps G7's guide tones F and B, and the bass slides down by half steps.
The ii–V–I is one of a short list of progressions worth knowing by sound; the overview of common chord progressions places it next to the others. The reference entry on the ii–V–I lists more songs and history.
How do you hear a ii–V–I?
You hear a ii–V–I as soft, then tense, then home. Listen for three things:
- The bass. It moves 2 to 5 to 1: up a fourth then down a fifth, or down a fifth then up a fourth. In C: D, G, C.
- The first chord is minor. That is the quickest way to tell ii–V–I from IV–V–I, where the first chord is major and the bass steps up (F, G, C).
- The middle chord leans. V7 sounds like a question. If the third chord answers it, you have the full cadence; if it lands on a minor chord, it may be a deceptive move or a minor ii–V–i.
Practice by playing ii–V–I and IV–V–I back to back in the same key until you can name them without looking. Those two are also the first pair to drill in the ear training for beginners plan once I, IV and V are solid.
Hear the ii–V–I in Hearmony
Hearmony's Progression Highway adventure has a unit for exactly this move, "ii – V – I: the jazz move". You hear four chords in a random key and pick the progression from three choices, with ii–V–I mixed in among the progressions from earlier units (later units add I–ii–V–I); "Which chord is missing?" questions show the progression with a gap to fill. These questions use triads. The seventh-chord side lives in Seventh Heaven, which trains dominant 7, major 7 and minor 7 chords by sound, the three chord types of the major ii7–V7–Imaj7. Hearmony is on the App Store for iPhone.