Stop 6 of 6
The ii–V–I
The most important progression in jazz, in major and minor.
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Stop 6 of 6
The most important progression in jazz, in major and minor.
So far you have sailed around still islands: one centre, one vamp, one colour. The is something else: a current that carries you from chord to chord until it leaves you at home. It is the most important progression in jazz, and it also turns up in soul, bossa nova and sophisticated pop. Here you bring together everything from this stage and the last: modes as the colour of each chord, guide tones and voicings.
Listen to this backing several times. Three chords; the last one lasts two bars.
The first chord opens a gentle question, the second turns it into tension and the third resolves it. If you have listened to jazz you know it: this move appears dozens of times in almost any standard. Many songs from the Great American Songbook are, to a large extent, chains of ii–V–Is towards different keys.
Now listen to the minor version. The colour changes, but the motion is the same:
In C major:
| Degree | Chord | Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii7 | Dm7 | subdominant | D F A C |
| V7 | G7 | dominant | G B D F |
| Imaj7 | Cmaj7 | tonic | C E G B |
The roots fall by fifths (D → G → C): the strongest bass motion in tonal harmony. ii prepares, V builds tension with its (B–F) and I resolves.
With these three shapes your hand barely moves: alternating roots on the fifth and sixth strings keeps the chords in the same area of the neck. It is the same idea from the previous stage.
Look only at the thirds and sevenths. Each chord's seventh falls a half step to become the third of the next chord; the other guide tone stays put:
Play them on strings 3 and 2. Hear how, with just two notes, the whole progression makes sense:
Add the root in the bass and you have the shell voicings of the ii–V–I, the ones jazz guitarists use to comp without stepping on the pianist or the bassist:
With the from the vamps stop, each chord gets its mode:
| Chord | Mode | Notes | Delicate note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | D Dorian | D E F G A B C | none: the 6 (B) is colour |
| G7 | G Mixolydian | G A B C D E F | C (4) clashes with the third |
| Cmaj7 | C Ionian (or Lydian) | C D E F G A B | F (4): use F♯ for Lydian |
Did you notice? The three modes share the same seven notes, those of C major. Here the relative view really pays off: your fingers do not have to change scale. What changes is which notes you aim for: the notes of the chord of the moment, especially its guide tones. The note marked “delicate” is an : fine in passing, but do not sustain it on a strong beat.
This original line is a model of how to move through the ii–V–I. Look at where each bar lands: the last note over one chord sits a half step from the third of the next.
In minor, ii and V change colour:
| Degree | Chord in A minor | Comes from | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| iiø7 | Bm7♭5 | natural minor | B Locrian |
| V7♭9 | E7♭9 | harmonic minor | E Phrygian dominant |
| i7 | Am7 (or Am6, Am(maj7)) | natural / melodic | A Aeolian, Dorian or melodic minor |
ii is a chord: this is where Locrian finally gets a job, not as a centre but as a passing colour. V takes the leading tone (G♯) from harmonic minor, and its ♭9 (F) gives it that unmistakable drama of minor-key jazz.
The guide tones also fall by half steps: A → G♯ → G in one voice; D holds and then falls to C in the other.
E7♭9 is only the doorway. On a dominant resolving to a minor chord you can alter the fifth and ninth in other ways too (♯9, ♭13…), and that is what the altered scale, the seventh mode of melodic minor, is for. You will meet it in the next stage, together with dominant substitutions.
A habit many improvisers share: before playing over a progression, sing it. Sing the root of each chord with the backing (D, G, C); then sing the guide tones (C → B, F → E). If you can sing the guide-tone line without the instrument, your fingers will find it much faster, because you already know where you are going.
Goal: Comp 16 bars of the ii–V–I in C with shell voicings in quarter notes, with no gaps between chords, at 100 BPM.
Goal: Improvise 32 bars over the ii–V–I in C, playing a guide tone (3rd or 7th) on beat 1 of every bar, first in half notes and then in eighth notes.
Over Bm7♭5 think B Locrian (the notes of A natural minor); over E7♭9, harmonic minor (with G♯); over Am7, go back to natural minor or try Dorian with F♯.
Goal: Play the written minor line at 92 BPM, then improvise 16 bars playing G sharp in every E7♭9 bar.
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