PRACTICE GUIDE · LEARN & TRAIN
ii–V–I Jazz Guitar Practice
The major ii–V–I connects a minor-seventh chord, a dominant-seventh chord and a major-seventh tonic. Practice the roots, then the thirds and sevenths, so you can hear why the progression moves and where it settles.
By Vincent Iannone · Updated
Know the chords before adding speed
Roman numerals describe the roots inside a key. In C major, ii is Dm7, V is G7, and I is Cmaj7. Transposing the progression changes the roots while keeping those chord roles. The play-along uses one bar of ii, one bar of V and two bars of I.
| Key | ii minor seventh | V dominant seventh | I major seventh |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |
| F | Gm7 | C7 | Fmaj7 |
| B♭ | Cm7 | F7 | B♭maj7 |
Connect the guide tones with small movements
In Dm7, F is the third and C is the seventh. Moving to G7, F can stay while C moves down a semitone to B. Moving from G7 to Cmaj7, B can stay while F moves down a semitone to E. That movement carries the harmony even with the fifths left out.
| Chord | Strings 6 → 1 | Sounding notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | x · 5 · 3 · 5 · x · x | D3 · F3 · C4 |
| G7 | 3 · x · 3 · 4 · x · x | G2 · F3 · B3 |
| Cmaj7 | x · 3 · 2 · 4 · x · x | C3 · E3 · B3 |
Use the four-bar play-along deliberately
The studio provides synthesized bass, shell comping and a timekeeper. Choose swing, straight quarters, or clicks on beats 2 and 4. Playback is a practice reference; the site does not listen to or grade your guitar performance.
- Choose a comfortable tempo. Play only D, G and C as roots through the four-bar loop.
- Play F–C, F–B and E–B as guide-tone pairs. Hear the common tones and the two half-step resolutions.
- Add the roots to make the three-note shells. Release each chord cleanly instead of letting every grip ring into the next.
- Leave a bar of space, then answer with a short original motif. Try landing on F over Dm7, B over G7 and E over Cmaj7.
Refresh the progression in another key
Move the routine to F or B♭ after you can name and hear the guide tones in C. Keep the same musical task rather than moving every exercise faster at once. Daily Drills can revisit voice leading, harmony, phrasing and ear training according to your saved practice history.
Related lessons and practice
- ii–V–I Jazz Guitar ProgressionsThe ii-V-I is a relationship between chords, not a fixed set of fret numbers. In a major key, ii is minor seventh, V is dominant seventh, and I is major seventh.
- Jazz Guitar Voice Leading with Shell ChordsFollow the notes on the same strings to hear a smooth line inside the chords. Voice leading follows individual notes through chord changes.
- Chord-Tone Soloing over ii–V–IStrong landing notes make a short phrase describe the changing harmony. A scale offers available notes; a chord tone gives a phrase a place to land.
- Jazz Guitar Shell VoicingsLearn playable root, third and seventh shell voicings with Cmaj7, C7 and Cm7 guitar shapes, muted-string guidance and a practical comping routine.
- Interval Ear Training for GuitarHear a named reference note, then find a hidden second pitch on the fretboard. Practice relative intervals with guitar staff notation, clickable frets and replay.