The ii-V-I progression is the most important chord progression in jazz. It’s found in practically every jazz standard. However, many jazz students ignore its minor counterpart—the minor ii-V-i. But don’t worry!
We’ll break down this essential jazz chord progression, explain the music theory behind it, and provide you with plenty of examples. By the end of this article, you’ll be a true master of the minor 2-5-1 progression.
We’ll answer the questions:
- What is the minor 2-5-1?
- Where does the minor 2-5-1 come from?
- What are common variations on the minor 2-5-1 chord progression?
- How do you improvise over the minor 2-5-1 progression?
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Table of Contents
What is the ii-V-I Progression?
As we alluded to above, the ii-V-I progression is the most important chord progression in jazz. Let’s establish a definition for and understanding of the ii-V-I progression before tackling the minor ii-V-i version. Some of this may be review for you, but it never hurts to refresh the fundamentals!
The Roman numerals ii, V, and I refer to chords from a key or tonal center. The tonic chord is represented by the Roman numeral I. All the other chords are numbered in relation to the tonic chord.
In the key of C major, the tonic seventh chord is Cmaj7. This is the I chord. (Notice how this chord has a major quality and its Roman numeral is an uppercase I. Major quality chords get an uppercase Roman numeral, while minor quality chords receive a lowercase Roman numeral.
The other chords in the key of C major are built from the scale degrees of the C major scale.
Notice the C major scale in red and the diatonic seventh chords stacked on top of each note. This diatonic series of seventh chords is where we get the ii-V-I progression. Let’s single out the ii chord, the V chord, and the I chord.
In the key of C, our ii-V-I progression would be [D-7 – G7 – Cmaj7].
Check out this article for more on the major ii-V-I progression.
Visualizing ii-V-Is on the Circle of Fourths (or Fifths)
The circle of fourths (or fifths) is a visual way of organizing tonal centers. Here, we have major keys on the outer part of the circle represented by capital letters, and minor keys on the inner part of the circle, represented by lowercase letters.
image source: Wikimedia Commons
If you follow the circle clockwise, you move in 5ths. See how C moves to G, which moves to D, and so on. Go counterclockwise, and you move in 4ths. C moves to F, which moves to Bb, and so on.
The root notes of our ii-V-I progression move in 4ths along the circle. The root of our ii chord is D. Move up a fourth and you’ll land on the root of our V chord, or G. Continue along the circle and you’ll end up on the root of our I chord, or C.
To sum up, the 2-5-1 progression is a chord progression pulled from the major diatonic series of seventh chords. The ii chord, V chord, and I chord all come from the note relationships in the major scale.
So what about the minor 2-5-1?
What is the Minor 2-5-1 Progression?
If the major ii-V-I progression comes from the ii, V, and I chords of major keys, it stands to reason that the minor ii-V-i progression comes from the ii, V, and i chords of minor keys. You’d assume that the minor 2-5-1 is the “minor key” version of the major ii-V-I.
However, if we look at the minor diatonic series of seventh chords, we’ll find that the v chord is a minor seventh chord. Let’s use C- as our example key. C- has three flat notes: Bb, Eb, and Ab. This changes the character of our chord scale quite a bit.
The v chord would be a G-7, which is not what we see in the typical minor 2-5-1 progression:
Also, the i chord isn’t always your typical i-7 chord. In the example above, it’s a minor major seventh chord, or a minor triad with a major 7th interval.
If these chords don’t come from the diatonic natural minor scale, where do they come from?
The answer is that these chords come from other minor scales. Putting minor modes aside, there are three minor scales that jazz improvisers and chord players use all the time:
- Natural Minor Scale
- Harmonic Minor Scale
- Melodic Minor Scale
Natural Minor
Harmonic Minor
Melodic Minor
Therefore, the chords of our minor 2-5-1 progression come from these three minor scales. Let’s look at the music theory behind each chord in the minor ii-V-i progression to explore this further.
Additionally, check out this article on the three minor scales to dig deeper into each.
The iiø Chord
The iiø chord has a half-diminished quality because of the relationship between D, the root note, and Ab, the flat 5th. It is a diminished triad with a minor seventh interval stacked above it.
Here is the relationship between the root and fifth degree in a regular ii chord (D-7).
Let’s compare that to the iiø chord from a minor ii-V-i, or a Dø chord.
Which minor scale does the iiø chord come from?
The iiø chord is found in two of the three minor scales:
- Natural Minor Scale
- Harmonic Minor Scale
Melodic minor has a natural 6th, so the ii chord in a melodic minor scale is a minor seventh chord.
Check out this article to learn more about the half-diminished chord. This article focuses on the guitar, but the music theory behind it is universal!
The v (or V) Chord
Technically, the v chord should be a minor chord quality. However, it’s quite common to make the V chord a dominant seventh chord. Doing so implies a different minor tonality—melodic minor or harmonic minor.
Let’s look at the chords in the key of C minor. The v chord would normally be a G-7.
However, when we make this chord quality dominant, the Bb becomes a B natural, and the underlying scale changes from the natural minor scale to the harmonic minor scale.
You can also find the dominant V chord in the melodic minor scale.
Usually, the V chord has a few altered chord extensions in a minor 2-5-1 progression. Common chord extensions include
- b9
- #9
- b13/#5
Check out this article for more on altered chord extensions.
Which minor scale does the V chord come from?
The dominant V chord is found in both the melodic minor scale and the harmonic minor scale. The presence of the leading tone (B natural in both these scales) makes the V chord a major quality chord.
The i Chord
In minor 2-5-1 progressions, the i chord is always a minor quality chord unless it’s a mixed or deceptive ii-V. Mixed or deceptive ii-Vs resolve to a quality you wouldn’t expect based on the ii and the V chords (more on those down below).
You can expect the i chord to be a regular minor seventh chord: C-7. Or, a minor triad with a major seventh interval: C-(maj7).
What are Variations on the Minor ii-V-i Progression?
Jazz musicians should familiarize themselves with common variations on the minor 2-5-1 progression. Here are common variations chord players might employ when comping.
- Tritone Substitutions
- Subbing the iiø For The bVImaj7
- Deceptive ii-Vs
Learn more about comping by checking out this ultimate guide to jazz comping.
Tritone Substitution in the Minor 2-5-1 Progression
Tritone substitutions are a type of chord substitution where the V chord is replaced by another dominant seventh chord whose root is a tritone away from the original root of the V chord.
Tritone substitutions work because they share the same guide tones. Guide tones are the 3rds and 7ths of a chord. G7 and Db7 both contain a B (or Cb, which is enharmonically equivalent) and an F. Therefore, a Db7 performs the same harmonic function as a G7 and vice versa.
In the context of a ii-V-I, tritone subs create chromatic root movement between the ii and I chords, connecting them by a dominant seventh chord whose root is directly between them. When you use a tritone sub in a minor ii-V-i progression, you get a descending chromatic bass line in the root.
Compare a traditional minor 2-5-1 to a variation that uses a tritone sub for the V chord.
Check out this article for more on tritone substitutions.
Subbing Out the iiø For The bVImaj7
Another variation you might encounter is a substitution for the iiø chord. Sometimes, this chord will be replaced with the bVImaj7 chord. This is a type of diatonic substitution, where one chord is replaced by another from the same key.
The bVI chord shares two of the same notes with the Dø chord—the Ab and the C.
Therefore, this substitution preserves half of the harmonic function of the ii chord, while also providing nice stepwise motion from the G and Eb in the Abmaj7 chord to the F and D of the G7 chord.
Mixed or Deceptive ii-Vs
Mixed ii-Vs (also known as deceptive ii-Vs) resolve to a different chord quality than expected. Most commonly, you’ll have a minor ii-V, but the I chord will be a major seventh chord.
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE...
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Improvising Over Minor 2-5-1s
Now that we understand minor ii-V-is and common variations of them, we can talk about improvising over them!
Let’s look at some scale options we have for playing over minor 2-5-1s.
Scale Options Over the iiø Chord
The defining characteristic of the iiø chord is the flat 5th scale degree. The chord itself consists of four notes. In the key of C minor, we have:
- C: m7th
- Ab: b5th (Tritone)
- F: m3rd
- D: Rt
We need scales that contain these notes. Two solid options are the seventh mode of the major scale, also known as the Locrian mode, or the sixth mode of the melodic minor scale, Locrian (♮) 2.
Locrian Mode
The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale. Therefore, D Locrian is the seventh mode of Eb major (or the second mode of C minor).
Scale Degrees:
- D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D
- Rt-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7-Rt
This is a diatonic mode rooted in the tonality of C- and is an excellent choice for the iiø chord.
Locrian (♮) 2
Locrian (♮) 2 is the sixth mode of the melodic minor scale. Therefore, D Locrian (♮) 2 comes from the D melodic minor scale.
Scale Degrees:
- D-E-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D
- Rt-♮2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7-Rt
Check out this article for more on the modes of the melodic minor scale.
Scale Options Over the V Chord
The V chord is where all that jazz flavor lives! There are many scale options you can employ over the V chord to hit all those altered dominant sounds. However, we’re going to go over the most important ones.
We could opt for scales that hit all the core notes of the V chord. In the key of C minor, those notes would be:
- F: 7th
- D: 5th
- B: 3rd
- G: Rt
However, there are so many altered extensions we can employ too!
- D#Eb: #5th/b13th
- C#: #11th
- Bb: #9th
- Ab: b9th
Let’s look at four options we can play over the V chord in minor ii-V-i chord progressions. We’ll go from most altered to least altered in relation to a G7 chord.
G Superlocrian or Altered Scale
The Superlocrian or altered scale is the seventh mode of the melodic minor scale. This is my go-to scale for playing over the V chord in minor ii-V-i chord progressions. That’s because this scale hits all of the altered tones you’d want over a G7alt chord, which is commonly used in minor 2-5-1s.
Scale Degrees:
- G, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, G
Chord Tones:
- Rt, b9, #9, 3rd, b5, #5, 7th, Rt
G Half-Whole Diminished Scale
The diminished scale is another great option for hitting various altered chord tones over the V chord.
The diminished scale is an 8-note scale consisting of alternating half steps and whole steps. There are two “modes” of the diminished scale—one that starts with a half step and another that starts on a whole step.
Scale Degrees:
- G, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, D, E, F, G
Chord Tones:
- Rt, b9, #9, 3rd, b5, 5th, 13th, 7th, Rt
Check out this article for more on diminished scales.
G Whole Tone Scale
The whole tone scale is a six-note scale consisting entirely of whole steps. This scale option doesn’t hit all of the altered tones found in altered chords, but importantly hits the #5, which is a common altered extension on the V chord in minor ii-V-i chord progressions.
Scale Degrees:
- G, A, B, C#, D#, F, G
Chord Tones:
- Rt, 9th, 3rd, #11th, #5th, 7th, Rt
Check out this article to learn more about the whole tone scale.
G Mixolydian ♭6
Finally, another scale option you have at your disposal to hit the #5 sound over a G7#5 chord is the Mixolydian b6 scale. It’s the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale and is nearly identical to a regular mixolydian scale except it has a b6th scale degree instead of a natural 6th.
Beyond this #5th/b13th sound, there aren’t any other altered tones in this scale.
Scale Degrees:
- G, A, B, C, D, Eb, F, G
Chord Tones:
- Rt, 9th, 3rd, 4th, 5th, b13th, 7th, Rt
Scale Options Over the i Chord
What you choose to play over the i chord depends on the specific quality of that minor chord. For example, if it’s a minor triad, you have more leeway to imply different minor sounds (natural minor, Dorian minor, melodic minor, or harmonic minor).
However, if the chord symbol is more specific, your options become limited.
C-7 Chord
For a C-7 chord, you can play the natural minor scale because this scale has a minor seventh in it (Bb).
C-6 Chord
A C-6 chord includes the major sixth scale degree instead of the minor seventh. Because of this fact, we need a minor scale that has a major sixth scale degree. We could use the Dorian Minor or the melodic minor scale because they both contain a major sixth interval.
Check out this article to learn more about the Dorian mode, and this one for more on musical intervals.
C-(maj7) Chord
Remember, a C-(maj7) chord is a minor triad with a major seventh interval stacked on top. To play over this chord, we need a minor scale that has a major seventh interval. Therefore, we have two options: the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale.
Jazz Standards Full of Minor 2-5-1s
Let’s check out some minor ii-V-i chord progressions in action! Here are five jazz standards that contain minor ii-V-i changes.
Blue Bossa
“Blue Bossa” is a popular jazz standard that features prominent minor 2-5-1 chord progressions.
Here is the classic recording by Joe Henderson:
Beautiful Love
“Beautiful Love” is another great jazz standard that features many minor ii-V-i progressions, and it also features one of the minor ii-V-i variations we talked about earlier. I’ve boxed the regular minor ii-V-i progressions off in red, but I’ve boxed the bVI-V-i variation off in purple.
Here is one of my favorite recordings of this tune by jazz pianist Kenny Barron:
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
“Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” is essentially comprised of minor ii-V- i progressions with a bridge in the relative major key.
Here is a classic Sonny Clark recording of this tune:
For more jazz standards, check out this article on the 50 top jazz standards you need to know.
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