Chord Progression
The Minor ii–V–i
iiø7 – V7 – i
The minor-key cousin of the great jazz cadence — darker, and even more inevitable.
Key
The chords in A Minor
3 shapes to learn — tap any diagram to hear it on guitar or piano.
How it works
The minor ii–V–i. The ii is a half-diminished 7th (m7♭5), the V a dominant 7th with a raised third borrowed from harmonic minor, and the i a minor tonic.
It works just like its major-key sibling but with more built-in tension: the half-diminished ii is already unstable, and the dominant V — often coloured with a flat 9th — tips it into a resolution that feels darker and more final.
Minor jazz standards are largely built from these, and recognising the m7♭5 → 7 → m shape on sight is a rite of passage for jazz players.
Songs built on it
A few well-known examples — every one of them the same chords, moving in the same order.
- Autumn Leaves— jazz standard
- Blue Bossa— Kenny Dorham
- Summertime— George Gershwin
iiø7 – V7 – i in every key
The same numerals, twelve different sets of letters. Tap a key to explore all its chords.