ii–V–I: the “2 5 1” chord progression
ii–V–I (said “two, five, one”) is three chords whose roots each fall a fifth, ending on home: in C major, Dm, G and C, played in jazz as Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7. It is the most common move in jazz; here it fills four bars, with two bars of home at the end.
Hear it in any key, in five styles
- iiDm
- VG
- IC
- IC
Pick a key and the chord names change; pick a style and the drums, bass rhythm and chord rhythm change while the chords stay the same. The chords are Dm, G, C, C, one bar each. The link in the address bar keeps your key and style.
Learn harmony without the theory
Mood without music theory. The course’s harmony chapter builds chords, major and minor, keys and colour notes by ear. Unit 1 is free with a Google sign-in.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1; chords and progressions come in Unit 4: Harmony.
How it works
Each root is a fifth above the next: D down to G, G down to C. That fall is the strongest pull in harmony, the one the circle of fifths is built from, so after two steps of it the ear is sure it has arrived home.
The V chord does the work. With its seventh added (G7: G, B, D and F) it holds the two notes that most want to move, B up to C and F down to E, and the I chord resolves both. The ii chord is the setup: it shares two notes with IV and leads smoothly into V.
Jazz standards chain ii–V–I through key after key, which is why players practise it in all twelve. Neo-soul and lo-fi borrow it for a smooth, rich turn; in the styles below, the lo-fi one plays it with ninths, the way a jazz pianist might.
ii–V–I in every key
The numerals stay the same; only the letters change. The relative minor, in brackets, shares the same chords. Each chord is listed once; the strip above shows the order, bar by bar. The highlighted row is the key playing above.
| Key | ii | V | I |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major (Am) | Dm | G | C |
| G major (Em) | Am | D | G |
| D major (Bm) | Em | A | D |
| A major (F#m) | Bm | E | A |
| E major (C#m) | F#m | B | E |
| B major (G#m) | C#m | F# | B |
| F# major (D#m) | G#m | C# | F# |
| Db major (Bbm) | Ebm | Ab | Db |
| Ab major (Fm) | Bbm | Eb | Ab |
| Eb major (Cm) | Fm | Bb | Eb |
| Bb major (Gm) | Cm | F | Bb |
| F major (Dm) | Gm | C | F |
Songs built on it
A few well-known examples, named so you can go and listen for the pattern. Nothing from them is reproduced here; the loop above is Swung’s own.
- Autumn Leaves, Joseph Kosma
- Fly Me to the Moon, Bart Howard
- Satin Doll, Duke Ellington
- Tune Up, Miles Davis
- Honeysuckle Rose, Fats Waller
Common in jazz, bossa nova, neo-soul, lo-fi hip hop and musical theatre.
What each style changes
| Style | BPM | Drums, bass and chords |
|---|---|---|
| Pop | 104 | bass: root eighths; chords: piano |
| House | 124 | bass: off-beat; chords: stabs, seventh chords |
| Lo-fi hip hop | 82, 58% swing | bass: with the kick; chords: electric piano, ninth chords |
| Trap | 140 | bass: 808; chords: dark pad |
| Reggaeton | 95 | bass: 3-3-2; chords: pad |