THE ii-V-I CHORD PROGRESSION

A chord progression, or cadence, is a just series of chords that flow together. One commonly
used cadence is the "ii-V-I". This cadence is found in many styles of music, including pop and jazz.
The basic ii-V-I consists of a minor chord ("ii"), a dominant chord ("V7"), and a major chord ("I").
First, think of this cadence as existing in its own key - the key of its "I" chord - regardless of the
key of the composition in which this cadence is found.
For example, Dm - G7 - C is a ii-V-I in C. It doesn't matter what key the rest of the piece is in.
If we view C as the "I" chord, then Dm is its "ii" and G7 is its "V7."
More often than not (and especially in jazz), each chord in a ii-V-I contains at least a seventh.
For example, Dm7-G13-CMaj9 is just a more colorful sounding ii-V-I cadence. Adding or altering
extensions doesn't affect the underlying structure of a ii-V7-I.
G7

A7

D7

G7

C7

F7

B7

The above example includes two ii-V7-I chord progressions. To identify a ii-V-I, first look
for a minor chord, followed by a dominant chord, followed by a major chord. Then check the
roots of the minor and dominant chords to see if they are the "ii" and the "V7" in the key of "I."
*Notice the second ii-V-I is in the key of Bb, which is outside of the key of the piece (G major).

The ii-V7-I cadence is already found in many compositions, but it can also be inserted into an
existing chord progression to add more "movement."
Take the following example:
E7

A7

E7

B7

E7

A7

In the first version of the chord progression above (left), there is a lot of space between the
EbMaj7 and the AbMaj7 chords. What if we viewed AbMaj7 as a "I" chord in a ii-V-I?
Bb minor is Ab's "ii", and Eb7 is Ab's "V7." Now the progression has more movement.
*In this example, all chords are seventh chords. Remember, extensions just add "color" to these chords without
changing their fucntion.

ii-V-I progressions can also have a minor "I", or a "i". The "ii" chord is usually altered in this case.
A good template to use for building or recognizing the minor version is this: ii
- V7 - i.
Notice that the "ii" chord has been altered - that symbol means "half diminished," or "minor
seventh with a flatted fifth." This is to make the "ii" chord fit better within the minor scale of "i."
The following example contains a ii - V7 - i-7 in G minor, and another in F minor.
14

E7

A7

A7

D7

G7

G7

C7

F7

*Notice how the flatted fifth of A (an Eb note) fits within the G minor scale (the "i"), while an E natural would not.
That's why flatting the fifth of the "ii" chord sounds more normal in a minor ii-V7-i.
The same goes for the Db in G, which fits the scale of F minor.