iiVI

Jazz · C

ii-V-I in C

The cornerstone of jazz harmony. The ii minor chord leads to the dominant V, which resolves to the tonic I with maximum harmonic momentum.

Chords in C ii-V-I

iiDm
VG
IC

Hear ii-V-I in C

ii-V-I in All 12 Keys

CDm – G – CC#D♭Ebm – Ab – DbDEm – A – DD#E♭Fm – Bb – EbEF#m – B – EFGm – C – FF#G♭G#m – C# – F#GAm – D – GG#A♭Bbm – Eb – AbABm – E – AA#B♭Cm – F – BbBC#m – F# – B

Other Progressions in C

I-IV-V-IC – F – G – CI-V-vi-IVC – G – Am – FI-vi-IV-VC – Am – F – G12-Bar BluesC – F – C – G – F – C – GIV-I-V-viF – C – G – AmI-III-IV-VC – E – F – G

Related Progressions

12-Bar Blues in CC – F – C – G – F – C – GI-IV-V-I in CC – F – G – Cii-IV-I-V in CDm – F – C – GI-V-vi-IV in CC – G – Am – F

ii-V-I in C

The ii-V-I progression in the key of C uses the chords Dm, G, C. These correspond to the ii, V, I degrees of the C major scale.

The cornerstone of jazz harmony. The ii minor chord leads to the dominant V, which resolves to the tonic I with maximum harmonic momentum. In C, this progression has a characteristic sound shaped by the tonal colour of the C root — common in jazz. Practise hearing it until the sequence feels inevitable rather than surprising.