iiVI

Jazz · C# / D♭

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

iiEbm
VAb
IDb

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-IDb – Gb – Ab – DbI-V-vi-IVDb – Ab – Bbm – GbI-vi-IV-VDb – Bbm – Gb – Ab12-Bar BluesDb – Gb – Db – Ab – Gb – Db – AbIV-I-V-viGb – Db – Ab – BbmI-III-IV-VDb – F – Gb – Ab

Related Progressions

12-Bar Blues in C#Db – Gb – Db – Ab – Gb – Db – AbI-IV-V-I in C#Db – Gb – Ab – Dbii-IV-I-V in C#Ebm – Gb – Db – AbI-V-vi-IV in C#Db – Ab – Bbm – Gb

ii-V-I in C# / D♭

The ii-V-I progression in the key of C# uses the chords Ebm, Ab, Db. 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 — also written as D♭ — common in jazz. Practise hearing it until the sequence feels inevitable rather than surprising.