ii–V–I

The jazz cadence — purposeful — three chords that know only one way to go.

Degrees: ii–V–I
Mode: major
Bars: 3
In C major: Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7

The progression in C major

In all twelve keys

The same degrees, shifted twelve times. To move a song into another key, read off the row.

Key	ii7	V7	Imaj7
C major	Dm7	G7	Cmaj7
G major	Am7	D7	Gmaj7
D major	Em7	A7	Dmaj7
A major	Bm7	E7	Amaj7
E major	F#m7	B7	Emaj7
B major	C#m7	F#7	Bmaj7
F major	Gm7	C7	Fmaj7
Bb major	Cm7	F7	Bbmaj7
Eb major	Fm7	Bb7	Ebmaj7
Ab major	Bbm7	Eb7	Abmaj7
Db major	Ebm7	Ab7	Dbmaj7
F# major	G#m7	C#7	F#maj7

Why it sounds that way

The roots fall in fifths: from the second to the fifth to the first degree. Each chord resolves into the next, and the leading note in the dominant seventh pulls to the third of the tonic. No other three-step is more common in jazz.

Where you hear it

Autumn Leaves
Fly Me to the Moon
All the Things You Are

Related progressions

I–vi–ii–VThe turnaround iiø–V–iThe minor jazz cadence

Anotona does this for you

Photograph a page of sheet music or play the melody — Anotona finds the key, engraves the notes and transposes them into any other. Free.

See Anotona

Every note on this page is computed, not typed in — following the rule that also makes F# major spell its seventh degree E#, not F.