iiVI

Jazz · D

ii-V-I in D

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 D ii-V-I

iiEm
VA
ID

Hear ii-V-I in D

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 D

I-IV-V-ID – G – A – DI-V-vi-IVD – A – Bm – GI-vi-IV-VD – Bm – G – A12-Bar BluesD – G – D – A – G – D – AIV-I-V-viG – D – A – BmI-III-IV-VD – F# – G – A

Related Progressions

12-Bar Blues in DD – G – D – A – G – D – AI-IV-V-I in DD – G – A – Dii-IV-I-V in DEm – G – D – AI-V-vi-IV in DD – A – Bm – G

ii-V-I in D

The ii-V-I progression in the key of D uses the chords Em, A, D. These correspond to the ii, V, I degrees of the D 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 D, this progression has a characteristic sound shaped by the tonal colour of the D root — common in jazz. Practise hearing it until the sequence feels inevitable rather than surprising.