iiVI

Jazz · E

ii-V-I in E

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 E ii-V-I

iiF#m
VB
IE

Hear ii-V-I in E

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 E

I-IV-V-IE – A – B – EI-V-vi-IVE – B – C#m – AI-vi-IV-VE – C#m – A – B12-Bar BluesE – A – E – B – A – E – BIV-I-V-viA – E – B – C#mI-III-IV-VE – G# – A – B

Related Progressions

12-Bar Blues in EE – A – E – B – A – E – BI-IV-V-I in EE – A – B – Eii-IV-I-V in EF#m – A – E – BI-V-vi-IV in EE – B – C#m – A

ii-V-I in E

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