A chord progression is a sequence of chords found in a great many tunes, like the II V I or the twelve-bar blues. Here you will find 34 of them, with the chords in every key and the scale to play over each one.
For each progression you will find the chords written as degrees (valid in every key) and in the chosen key, with the scale to use over each chord. Listen to it, then open the exercise: the generator builds it on the same progression.
Degrees are written in Roman numerals: I is the chord on the tonic, V the one on the fifth degree. ♭ and ♯ mark a degree lowered or raised compared with the major scale.
Cadences
The II V I and its variants: the most common way to arrive at a chord, in major and in minor.
Major II V I
IIm7 – V7 – Imaj7
The most important cadence in jazz: a minor chord on the II, the dominant on the V, the arrival on the tonic.
The II prepares, the V builds tension, the I releases it. The roots move down in fifths (D, G, C) and the guide tones move by step: the seventh of the IIm7 falls to the third of the V7, the seventh of the V7 falls to the third of the Imaj7. The three scales (Dorian, Mixolydian, major) share the same notes: the whole II V I can be played with the scale of the key, changing only the notes you land on.
The II V I in minor: half-diminished, dominant with the ♭9, minor tonic.
Compared with major, the colour changes: the II becomes half-diminished (m7♭5) and the dominant takes the flat ninth, which leads to the fifth of the minor tonic. Here there is no longer a single scale: Locrian on the II, Phrygian dominant (or altered) on the V, melodic minor on the tonic.
A II V that does not resolve and moves down a whole step, then another whole step.
The II V is a unit you can move around: in tunes it often leads from one key to the next without ever stopping. Here it moves down in whole steps, as in many standards. It is the best exercise for learning the II V in every key: Dorian and Mixolydian, changing key every two bars.
The "Autumn Leaves" cadence: II V I IV in major, then II V I in the relative minor.
Two keys that share the same notes, G major and E minor for example, one after the other. The IVmaj7 acts as a bridge: from C you move down to F♯ half-diminished and into the minor II V I. Over the major part the scales of the key are enough; over the minor part the dominant changes and calls for Phrygian dominant.
All seven degrees of the key, one after the other, moving down in fifths.
Imaj7, IVmaj7, VIIm7♭5, III7, VIm7, IIm7, V7 and back to I: the roots always move down a fifth, as around the circle of fifths. The III becomes a dominant (III7) to lead more strongly to the minor VI. It is a great exercise for hearing the seven degrees: each has its own scale, almost all with the notes of the key.
The minor cadence that passes through the minor IV: Im6, IVm7, IIm7♭5, V7♭9, Im6.
The minor tonic moves to the minor IV (subdominant), then the cadence: half-diminished, dominant with the ♭9, tonic. It is the path of many minor tunes. Melodic minor on the tonic, Dorian on the IV, Locrian on the II, Phrygian dominant on the V.
The suspended dominant that resolves into the real dominant before reaching the I.
In the V7sus the fourth replaces the third: the chord stays suspended and does not yet push towards the tonic. When the fourth falls to the third (V7) the tension arrives and resolves on the I. Over both you play Mixolydian: only the weighted note changes, first the fourth and then the third.
The same arrival, by a different road: tritones, back doors, chromatic lines and Coltrane's tonal centres.
II ♭II7 I (tritone substitution)
IIm7 – ♭II7 – Imaj7
The II V I with the dominant replaced by the one a tritone away: IIm7 ♭II7 Imaj7.
Two dominants a tritone apart (G7 and D♭7) have the same third and seventh, swapped: each can take the other's place. With the substitution the bass moves down by half steps (D, D♭, C) instead of in fifths. Over the substitute dominant you play Lydian dominant: its notes are those of the altered scale of the original dominant.
You reach the I through the "back door": IVm7 and ♭VII7 instead of II V.
The minor IV and the ♭VII7 come from the parallel minor key: they are borrowed (modal interchange). The ♭VII7 has the same function as the dominant but a softer, more melancholy colour. Dorian on the IVm7, Lydian dominant on the ♭VII7.
A static minor chord with an inner note moving down by half steps: Im, Im(maj7), Im7, Im6.
One voice starts on the root and moves down a half step at a time (C, B, B♭, A) while the rest of the chord stays put: it is a line cliché, an inner melody that brings movement to a static chord. Melodic minor on the first two chords, Dorian on the others: the scales follow the descending note.
Coltrane changes: three tonal centres a major third apart, linked by dominants.
John Coltrane divides the octave into three equal parts (C, A♭, E) and moves from one to the next through a dominant: a classic II V I becomes a journey through three keys. Each arrival is a maj7 with the major scale, each dominant its Mixolydian. You have two beats to change scale.
Twelve bars, from the basic form to the bebop one: the most played form in African American music.
Basic blues
I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
The twelve-bar blues with three chords: I7, IV7 and V7.
Three four-bar phrases: four bars on the I, two on the IV and two on the I, then V, IV, I and a V that leads back to the top. Every chord is a dominant seventh, even the I: that is the sound of the blues. Over it you play the Mixolydian of each chord, or a single blues scale on the tonic for all twelve bars.
The blues as jazz musicians play it: with the IV in the second bar, the diminished chord, the II Vs.
The form is still twelve bars, but the chords get richer: the IV7 in the second bar, the diminished on the ♯IV rising to the I, the secondary dominant VI7 leading to the II, a real II V in bars nine and ten and a turnaround at the end. Each new chord calls for its own scale: whole-half diminished on the diminished chord, Phrygian dominant on the VI7.
The minor blues: minor chords on the I and the IV, the dominant preceded by the ♭VI7.
Same form as the blues, but the tonic and the IV are minor seventh chords. In bar nine the ♭VI7 moves down a half step to the dominant, which has a flat ninth; at the end, a minor II V. Dorian on the minor chords, Lydian dominant on the ♭VI7, Phrygian dominant on the V; the minor blues scale works over almost everything.
Charlie Parker's blues: a chain of II Vs moving down to the IV and then to the II.
From the Imaj7 a series of II Vs sets off, moving down by whole steps, one bar each, until the IV7. Then more II Vs move down towards the II of the final cadence. It is still a blues, because the stops are the same (I, IV, II V I), but the road is the bebop one. It is played with the II V scales, changing key every bar.
The A section of rhythm changes: eight bars of I VI II V circling around the tonic.
Two chords per bar, almost all in the key: I VI II V, then III VI II V. In bar five the I becomes a dominant (I7) and leads to the IV, with a diminished chord rising back to the I. It is the A section of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm", over which bebop musicians wrote dozens of tunes. It can all be played with the scale of the key, changing only on the secondary dominants.
The A section three times, with the bridge in the middle: four dominants moving in fifths, two bars each (III7 VI7 II7 V7). The A section stays in the key and moves fast; the bridge travels away and comes back. After the blues, it is the most played form at jam sessions.
Four dominants, each a fifth above the next: the bridge of rhythm changes.
Each dominant seventh chord resolves to the next, which is itself a dominant: III7, VI7, II7, V7, and finally the I. They are secondary dominants in a chain. Over them you play the Mixolydian of each chord; the challenge is changing scale every two bars without losing the thread, connecting the third of one chord to the seventh of the next.
Modal jazz: a single minor chord for sixteen bars, eight a half step higher, then back down.
Very few chords, each lasting a long time. There is no cadence to follow: the work is shaping the melody over a fixed colour, Dorian. It is the thirty-two-bar AABA form of "So What": the two A sections in D Dorian, the bridge in E♭ Dorian, the last A back in D.
Two bars that lead back to the first degree. They are played at the end of a tune or a section, to start again.
Basic turnaround (I vi ii V)
Imaj7 – VIm7 – IIm7 – V7
The most common turnaround: I, VI, II, V and back to I.
Two bars in which the tonic, instead of standing still, keeps moving: I, VIm7, IIm7, V7. The chords are all in the key and the roots move down in fifths from the VI. The scale of the key works over it; the real exercise is landing on the notes of each chord.
Like the basic turnaround, but with a dominant VI: I, VI7, II, V.
The VIm7 becomes VI7, the secondary dominant of the II: its third is a note outside the key that rises a half step to the II. Over the VI7 you play Phrygian dominant (or altered), over the rest the scales of the key.
The turnaround that starts on the III: IIIm7, VI7, IIm7, V7.
The IIIm7 takes the place of the I: it has almost the same notes (three out of four), so it works as a tonic but with a softer colour. Then the chain of fifths: VI7, II, V. Phrygian on the III, Phrygian dominant on the VI7.
The turnaround in the last two bars of a jazz blues: I7, VI7, IIm7, V7.
Like the turnaround with the secondary dominant, but the I is a seventh chord, as throughout the blues. Mixolydian on the I7, Phrygian dominant on the VI7.
The VI replaced by a diminished chord on the ♯I: I, ♯Idim7, IIm7, V7.
The diminished chord on the ♯I has almost the same notes as a VI7♭9 (without the root): it does the same job, leading to the II, but with the bass rising a half step (C, C♯, D). Over the diminished chord, the whole-half diminished scale.
Four dominants moving in fifths: III7, VI7, II7, V7.
Every chord of the turnaround becomes a dominant, each the dominant of the next. The sound is sharper and bluesier. Mixolydian on each, or more tense scales on the dominants that lead to minor chords of the key.
A turnaround with two tritone substitutions: I, ♭III7, IIm7, ♭II7.
The VI7 and the V7 are replaced by the dominants a tritone away: the bass moves down chromatically from the ♭III to the I. Lydian dominant on both substitute dominants.
The I, VI7, II7, V7 turnaround with its three dominants substituted: I, ♭III7, ♭VI7, ♭II7.
Start from the turnaround with dominants (I, VI7, II7, V7) and swap each dominant for the one a tritone away: VI7 becomes ♭III7, II7 becomes ♭VI7, V7 becomes ♭II7. The bass takes an unexpected path (C, E♭, A♭, D♭, C) and reaches the tonic by moving down a half step. Lydian dominant on every dominant.
II Vs moving down by half steps: IIIm7, ♭IIIm7, IIm7, ♭II7.
From the minor III you move down a half step at a time to the I: each chord is a II, or a substitute dominant. The bass line is entirely chromatic. Phrygian on the III, Dorian on the ♭III, Lydian dominant on the ♭II7.
The Tadd Dameron turnaround: four maj7 chords, I, ♭III, ♭VI, ♭II.
The chords of the tritone-substitution turnaround all become maj7: instead of dominants, major chords moving down. The sound is soft and surprising. Lydian on every chord except the I.
One bar of I, then IVm7 and ♭VII7 coming back in through the back door.
In place of the II V you use the backdoor cadence, taken from the parallel minor key. The sound is gentler than that of the dominant. Dorian on the IVm7, Lydian dominant on the ♭VII7.
The basic turnaround with a suspended dominant: I, VIm7, IIm7, V7sus.
On the last chord the fourth replaces the third: the dominant does not push, it stays suspended, and the return to the I is softer. Mixolydian on the V7sus, with the fourth as the weighted note.
The minor version of the basic turnaround: the VI and the II are half-diminished, the dominant has the ♭9. Locrian on the two half-diminished chords, Phrygian dominant on the V.
A minor turnaround with the ♭VI7: Im6, ♭VI7, IIm7♭5, V7♭9.
The ♭VI7 is the tritone substitution of the II7, the dominant of the dominant: a dominant chord moving down a half step to the half-diminished II. Lydian dominant on the ♭VI7, then the minor II V.
The three chord functions. The tonic (I) is rest; the subdominant (IV, II) moves away; the dominant (V) builds tension and wants to return to the tonic. Almost every progression is a journey between these three.
II V I
The cadence that reaches a chord through the II and the V of its key. It can target any chord, not just the tonic: that is why tunes are full of them, in different keys.
Guide tones
The third and the seventh of a chord: they tell you whether it is major, minor or dominant. Going from one chord to the next they move by a half step or a whole step, and following them is the simplest way to make the progression heard in a melody.
Secondary dominant
The dominant of a chord other than the tonic: the VI7 leads to the II, the III7 leads to the VI. It contains a note outside the key that pushes towards the next chord.
Tritone substitution
A dominant used in place of the one a tritone away (D♭7 instead of G7). The two share the same third and seventh, swapped, so they resolve to the same chord; the bass moves down a half step instead of a fifth.
Passing diminished
A diminished chord linking two chords a whole step apart, with the bass rising by half steps (C, C♯dim, Dm). It does the job of a secondary dominant without the root.
Backdoor and modal interchange
Chords borrowed from the minor key with the same tonic, like the minor IV and the ♭VII7. The backdoor cadence (IVm7 ♭VII7 I) reaches the tonic with a softer colour than the II V.
Sus chord
A chord in which the fourth replaces the third. Without the third it is neither major nor minor and stays suspended; the V7sus is a dominant that does not push.
Turnaround
A one- or two-bar formula that leads back to the first degree, at the end of a tune or a section. The basic form is I VI II V; all the others are variations on it.
Tonal centre
The key a tune is in at a given moment. Many standards change tonal centre every few bars, usually through a II V: recognising the tonal centres makes choosing scales easier.
Tensions
The notes that are not part of the chord but colour it: ninth, eleventh and thirteenth. On dominants they can be altered (♭9, ♯9, ♯11, ♭13), and they are what decides which scale to play.
What is the most important chord progression in jazz?
The II V I: a minor chord on the second degree, the dominant on the fifth and the arrival on the tonic. It appears in almost every standard, often several times and in different keys.
What is a turnaround?
A two-bar formula that leads back to the first degree, at the end of a tune or a section. The basic form is I VI II V; the others are variations on it with secondary dominants, tritone substitutions or chords borrowed from the minor key.
Which scales do you play over a II V I?
In major, Dorian on the II, Mixolydian on the V and major on the I: they all share the same notes, those of the key. In minor, Locrian on the II, Phrygian dominant or altered on the V and melodic minor on the I.
How do you practise chord progressions?
First listen to them and learn the chords in one key, then play arpeggios and guide tones over each chord, and finally move the progression through all the keys. The MEG generator writes exercises on each of these progressions.
Texts and tools by Stefano Corradi, professional musician and developer. Last updated: October 9, 2026.
From the circle to chord progressions
In the MEG app you create exercises on II V I, blues and turnarounds through every key, by fifths as in the circle, with bass, piano and drum accompaniment. Meanwhile, try the generator in the key you chose.
