Jazz Chord Progressions

Chord progressions are the foundation of jazz standards. When you learn to recognize them, songs no longer seem like a series of random chords. You’ll notice that many standards use different versions of the same 7th chord progressions, which composers mix and change in creative ways.

A chord progression is a group of chords played in a specific order. It’s the harmonic foundation of a song and supports melody and improvisation.

There are two types of chord progressions:

• Major chord progressions: built around a major key center. A large part of the jazz repertoire is built on major chord progressions.
• Minor chord progressions: built around a minor key center. These progressions use chords from a minor scale, like natural minor, harmonic minor, or melodic minor.

In this lesson, you will learn the 10 most popular chord progressions used in jazz, as well as exercises and different ways to play them on guitar.

 

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Jazz Chord Progression 1 – Major ii V I

The 2-5-1 progression is the most important and basic chord progression in jazz. You’ll hear it in almost every standard, usually several times within the same tune. Some standards are basically just a series of ii-V progressions.

 

Dm7	G7	Cmaj7	%
iim7	V7	Imaj7	%

 

There is also a 2-bar version of this chord progression, called a short 2-5-1.

 

Dm7 G7	Cmaj7
iim7 V7	Imaj7

 

You’ll find this progression in all 12 keys and in many different variations, both rhythmically and harmonically. It’s the foundation from which countless more advanced chord progressions are derived.

 

Here’s a comping example of a ii–V–I progression in the key of C, using basic jazz chords and walking bass:

 

 

 

Major 2-5-1 Variation #1

Dm7	G7	Cmaj7	A7
iim7	V7	Imaj7	VI7

 

In variation 1 of the 2-5-1 progression, an A7 is added in the last bar, so the progression becomes:

Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7 → A7

The A7 acts as a secondary dominant and leads back to Dm7, which makes it great for looping the progression.

In the next example, you’ll hear the progression played four times with different chord voicings to give you some ideas for comping.

 

 

 

Major 2-5-1 Variation #2

Dm7	Db7	Cmaj7	Eb7
iim7	bII7	Imaj7	bIII7

 

Variation #2 uses tritone substitutions, one of the easiest ways to make your comping sound modern and jazzy.

Tritone substitution means you swap a dominant 7 chord for another dominant 7 chord whose root is a tritone apart.

In this example, G7 is replaced by Db7, and A7 is replaced by Eb7.

This substitution works because both dominant 7 chords have the same 3rd and 7th. These two notes give the chord its dominant sound.

For G7 and Db7:

• The 3rd of G7 (B) is also the b7 of Db7 (B).
• The b7 of G7 (F) is also the 3rd of Db7 (F).

Since these two guide tones are the same, you can use Db7 instead of G7. The same idea works for A7 and Eb7.

This chord progression can be found in bar 27 of Autumn Leaves, for example.

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 2 – Diminished Passing Chords

Cmaj7 C#°7	Dm7 D#°7	Em7 A7
Imaj7 #I°7	iim7 #II°7	iiim7VI7

 

This chord progression uses diminished 7 passing chords to connect Imaj7 to iim7, and iim7 to iiim7.

They function as dominant chords, add tension, and create a chromatic bass line.

• C#dim7 = A7b9 (the dominant of Dm7)
• D#dim7 = B7b9 (the dominant of Em7)

 

Here’s an example of how to play this progression on guitar (in C major):

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 3 – Rhythm Changes (A-section)

Cmaj7 Am7	Dm7 G7	Em7 A7	Dm7 G7
Imaj7 vim7	iim7 V7	iiim7 VI7	iim7 V7

 

This chord progression is the first A section of a rhythm changes, also known as a 1-6-2-5 progression, and is often used as a turnaround.

A turnaround is a two-to-four bar chord progression that appears at the end of a standard and leads back to the start of the tune.

Rhythm changes are based on the chord progression from the standard I Got Rhythm, written by George Gershwin in 1930. Swing and bebop musicians used these changes as a base for improvisation. Over the years, many standards have been written using this same harmonic structure.

 

Rhythm changes are built around the I–vi–ii–V progression, but with an endless amount of variations and reharmonizations.

For example, the Am7 in the first bar is often replaced with A7, as you can hear below.

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 4 – Take the A Train

Cmaj7	%	D7	%
Imaj7	%	II7    (V/V)	%

Dm7	G7	Cmaj7	%
iim7	V7	Imaj7	%

 

This chord progression Imaj7 → II7 → iim7 → V7 → Imaj7, shows up in many jazz standards and bossa nova tunes. It is mostly associated with the classic Duke Ellington tune Take The “A” Train.

The II7 chord is what gives this progression its unique sound.

In the key of C, this chord is D7. It acts as a secondary dominant (V/V) and adds tension before moving to G7.

A secondary dominant is a chord that temporarily functions as the dominant (V chord) of a scale degree other than the tonic.

Rather than going straight to G7, the D7 first moves to Dm7, then follows the usual 2-5-1 resolution. This delayed resolution is what makes the progression stand out.

Sometimes, this dominant chord is written as D7#11 to add extra tension.

 

A well-known example of this progression is the first A-section of The Girl from Ipanema (here in C major).

To learn the original chords in Db major, check out our full The Girl From Ipanema chords lesson.

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 5 – Descending 2-5-1 Pattern

Cmaj7	%	Cm7	F7
Imaj7	%	(iim7	V7)

Bbmaj7	%	Bbm7	Eb7
Imaj7	%	(iim7	V7)

Abmaj7	%	Abm7	Db7
Imaj7	%	(iim7	V7)

 

This chord progression features a series of descending 2-5-1s, with each one moving down by a whole step:

C major → Bb major → Ab major.

It includes two modulations:

• The chords start in the key of C major.
• In bar 3, the chords modulate to Bb major.
• In bar 7, the progression modulates to Ab major.

This is a good chord progression to work on because it trains your ear to hear and recognize modulations.

 

A famous example of this kind of harmony is How High the Moon, which uses the descending harmonic movement to create a feeling of constant motion.

The comping example below is in G major. I’ve included a simple version of the melody so you can hear how the harmony and melody work together.

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 6 – Circle of Fifths

Am7	Dm7	G7	Cmaj7
vim7	iim7	V7	Imaj7

Fmaj7	Bm7b5	E7	Am7
IVmaj7	viim7b5	III7	vim7

 

This chord progression follows the circle of fifths, where each chord root moves down by a fifth (or up by a fourth) to the next chord.

This root movement creates one of the strongest chord relationships in music, giving these progressions their smooth and often dreamy sound.

Circle of fifths progressions usually mix major, minor, half-diminished, and dominant chords. They can include both diatonic and non-diatonic chords.

 

The first comping example in C major is from Fly Me to the Moon, one of the clearest examples of a circle of fifths progression in jazz.

 

 

 

This second example in Ab major is from All The Things You Are.

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 7 – Minor iv Chord and Backdoor ii V

Cmaj7	C7	Fmaj7	Fm7
Imaj7	I7	IVmaj7	ivm7

Em7A7	Dm7G7	Cmaj7	%
iiim7VI7	iim7V7	Imaj7	%

 

This progression uses the minor iv chord, which is a popular borrowed chord found in many styles of music, including jazz, bossa nova, pop, funk, gospel, and soul.

In the key of C, that chord is Fm7, borrowed from the parallel minor key, C minor.

Modal interchange is when you borrow chords from the major or minor version of the same key to make a progression sound more interesting.

The move from Fmaj7 to Fm7 gives this progression its characteristic sound. After the bright sound of the IVmaj7 chord, the shift to ivm7 adds a more melancholic, nostalgic feel.

The minor iv chord shows up a lot in jazz standards such as All of Me and is also found in pop chord progressions such as Blackbird by The Beatles.

 

Here is an example of how you can play this progression on guitar. The iv minor chord can be found in bar 4.

 

 

 

The Backdoor 2-5 Progression

Fm7	Bb7	Cmaj7	%
ivm7	bVII7	Imaj7	%

 

The minor iv chord is also the starting point of the backdoor ii-V, another common progression in jazz standards.

In C major, a backdoor ii-V is:

Fm7 → Bb7 → Cmaj7

 

Unlike the usual Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7 (2 5 1 in C major), the backdoor ii-V approaches Cmaj7 from the minor iv side.

A good example is in bar 4 of the jazz standard Misty.

• Misty is in Eb major.
• The iv minor chord in Eb is Abm7 (borrowed from the Eb minor scale).
• Db7 follows Abm7, creating a backdoor ii-V that resolves to Ebmaj7: Abm7 → Db7 → Ebmaj7

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 8 – Minor ii V i

Major progressions are often described as happy, while minor progressions are associated with a more sad and nostalgic sound. In practice, it’s not that simple. The mood of a progression depends on the melody, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and the way it is played.

The minor 2-5-1 is the first and most basic minor key chord progression we’ll have a look at.

It is the minor-key version of the major 2-5-1. It’s one of the most common chord progressions in jazz, and you’ll hear it in many jazz standards, often mixed with major 2-5-1s.

 

Dm7b5	G7	Cm7	%
iim7b5	V7	im7	%

 

There is also a shorter 2-bar version of the minor 2-5-1, making it a compact progression you’ll hear in many jazz standards.

 

Dm7b5 G7	Cm7
iim7b5 V7	im7

 

In the minor version, the ii chord is half-diminished (m7♭5), and the tonic can be Cm7, Cm6, or CmMaj7.

 

 

Here is a comping example for the short version of a minor ii-V-i progression in C minor.

 

 

 

Minor 2-5-1 Variation #1

Dm7b5	G7	Cm7	Eb7
iim7b5	V7	im7	bIII7

 

In the major ii-V-I progression, we added a VI7 (A7) to return to the ii chord when playing the progression in a loop. This approach does not work in a minor ii-V-i, since the ii chord is half-diminished (Dm7♭5) instead of minor (Dm7), so A7 does not have the same dominant function.

A common alternative is to use Eb7, which is the tritone substitute for A7, and leads back to Dm7♭5 when you repeat the progression.

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 9 – Minor Line Clichés

A minor line cliché is a chromatic line that moves through a series of related chords. This chromatic movement can show up in the bass or in one of the upper voices.

Two common examples are the descending chromatic bass line and CESH, where the chromatic movement happens within the chord.

 

Descending Chromatic Bass Line

Cm7	Bdim7 (or G/B)	Bbm7 (or Cm7/Bb)	Adim7 (or F/A)
im7	viidim7	bviim7	vidim7

 

In this kind of progression, the bass moves down in half steps while the chords above it change. Well-known examples are How Insensitive and Yesterdays.

How Insensitive starts with:

Dm7 – C#dim7 – Cm7 – Bdim7

The bass notes go down by half steps:

D – C# – C – B

This descending line gives the progression its unique, emotional sound.

 

 

 

CESH

Cm	Cm/maj7	Cm7	Cm6
im	im/maj7	im7	im6

 

CESH means Contrapuntal Elaboration of Static Harmony.

Here, the bass stays on the tonic note while one of the upper voices moves down chromatically.

In C minor, this usually creates:

Cm – Cm/Maj7 – Cm7 – Cm6

The chromatic line is the notes:

C – B – Bb – A

The most famous example of this technique is the opening chords of Stairway to Heaven.

A classic jazz example is My Funny Valentine.

 

 

 

Jazz Chord Progression 10 – The Andalusian Cadence

Cm7 Bb7 (Or Cm7/Bb)	Ab7 (or Abmaj7)G7
im7 bVII7	bVI7 V7

 

In music theory, this progression is known as the Andalusian cadence and is closely linked to flamenco music. However, that name is not completely accurate.

In flamenco, the ending chord of the cadence is the key center, but in jazz, the first minor chord is heard as the tonic. Although the chords are the same, their harmonic function is different.

In jazz, this progression is not very common in lead sheets. One well-known exception is the A-section of Horace Silver’s Song for My Father.

However, it is often used as an arranging tool in minor-key standards. You can hear it in many versions of standards like Summertime, Caravan, and Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise, as a tool to create harmonic variation.

Outside of jazz, this progression is very common. You can hear it in Latin, pop, and soul songs like Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles), Stray Cat Strut (Stray Cats), Why Don’t You Do Right (Peggy Lee), Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys), California Dreamin’ (The Mamas & the Papas), Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits), and many more.

The example below shows some common ways to play this progression:

 

 

 

 

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