II-V-I

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II-V-I is the most common chord progression in jazz consisting of three scale degrees played one after the other: supertonic, dominant and tonic. Its most common form is:

IIm7 V7 Imaj7

Different chord types can be used in order to change the feel of the progression. Here is an example of a II-V-I progression using diferrent chord types:

IIm9 V#9b13 Imaj9

The ii V I progression is found in many classical music pieces, though in these cases the supertonic chord is minor. In a major key, the supertonic (ii) chord often has an added minor seventh and is written in third inversion. This allows the bass movement to be the very common IV V I:

ii6/5 V I

In a minor key, the supertonic chord is diminished due to the key signature. With the addition of the minor seventh, the diminished supertonic seventh is one of the most dissonant chords in common tonal practice. Also placed in third inversion, the bass movement is the same as that of a major key, and is notated as:

iidim6/5 V i

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