The ii-V-I turnaround, ii-V-I progression, or ii V I even ii V VIII, also known as the dominant cadence, is a common cadential

Cadence (music)

In Western musical theory, a cadence is, "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music...

 chord progression

Chord progression

A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...

 used in a wide variety of music genre

Music genre

A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...

s, especially jazz harmony

Jazz harmony

Jazz harmony is the theory and practice of how chords are used in jazz music. Jazz bears certain similarities to other practices in the tradition of Western harmony, such as many chord progressions, and the incorporation of the major and minor scales as a basis for chordal construction, but...

. It is a succession of chords

Chord (music)

A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...

 whose roots

Root (chord)

In music theory, the root of a chord is the note or pitch upon which a triadic chord is built. For example, the root of the major triad C-E-G is C....

 descend in fifths from the second degree

Degree (music)

In music theory, a scale degree or scale step is the name of a particular note of a scale in relation to the tonic...

, or supertonic

Supertonic

In music or music theory, the supertonic is the second degree or note of a diatonic scale, one step above the tonic. In music theory, the supertonic chord is symbolized by the Roman numeral ii in a major scale, indicating that the chord is a minor chord , or ii in a natural minor scale, indicating...

, to the fifth degree, or dominant

Dominant (music)

In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called "dominant" because it is next in importance to the tonic,and a dominant chord is any chord built upon that pitch, using the notes of the same diatonic scale...

, and finally to the tonic

Tonic (music)

In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...

. In a major key, the supertonic (ii) triad is minor, while in a minor key, this triad is diminished

Diminished chord

A diminished triad chord or diminished chord is a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad with a lowered fifth....

. The dominant chord is, in its most basic form, a major triad and, commonly, a dominant seventh chord

Dominant seventh chord

In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord,is a chord composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. It can be also viewed as a major triad with an additional minor seventh...

. With the addition of chord alterations, substitutions, and extensions (most often sevenths), limitless variations exist on this simple formula.

ii-V-I has been used for a hundred years and is currently "a staple of virtually every type of popular music," including jazz, R&B, pop, rock, and country. Examples include "Honeysuckle Rose

Honeysuckle Rose (song)

"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....

" (1928), which, "features several bars in which the harmony goes back and forth between the II and V chords before finally resolving on the I chord," and "Satin Doll

Satin Doll

"Satin Doll" is a jazz standard written by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Written in 1953, the song has been recorded countless times, by such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, 101 Strings, and Nancy Wilson...

" (1953).

Jazz

ii-V-I progressions are extremely common in jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

. They serve two primary functions, which are often intertwined: to temporarily imply passing tonalities, and to lead strongly toward a goal (the "I" chord). One potential situation where ii-V-I progressions can be put to use is in a blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, whose generic form has no such progressions. In this example, a simple 12-bar F blues is shown followed by a similar one with some basic ii-V-I substitutions:
| F7 | Bb7 | F7 | F7 | Bb7 | Bb7 | F7 | F7 | C7 | Bb7 | F7 | C7 ||
| F7 | Bb7 | F7 | Cm F7 | Bb7 | Bb7 | F7 | Am D7 | Gm | C7 | F7 | Gm C7 ||

In bar 4, instead of the simple V I root motion in the original blues, the ii chord of the B7 (Cm) is included so that the measure is even more directed toward the following downbeat with the B7. In bars 8-10, instead of leading back to the tonic with the standard V-IV-I (blues cadence), a series of applied ii-V-I progressions is used to first lead to Gm, which then itself is reinterpreted as a ii and used to lead back to F7 through its own V, which is C7. In the last bar (the "turnaround

Turnaround (music)

In jazz, a turnaround is a passage at the end of a section which leads to the next section. This next section is most often the repetition of the previous section or the entire piece or song...

"), the same type of substitution is used as that in bar 4. In practice, musicians will often add extensions to the basic chords shown here, especially 7ths, 9ths, and 13ths, as seen in this example:
iim9 V913 Imaj9
In jazz, the ii is typically played as a minor 7th chord, and the I is typically played as a major 7th chord (though it can also be played as a major 6th chord). The iim7-V7-Imaj7 progression provides smooth voice leading

Voice leading

In musical composition, voice leading is the term used to refer to a decision-making consideration when arranging voices , namely, how each voice should move in advancing from each chord to the next.- Details :...

 between the thirds and sevenths of these chords; the third of one chord becomes the seventh of the next chord, and the seventh of one chord moves down a half-step to become the third of the next chord. For example, in the key of C, the standard jazz ii-V-I progression is Dm7-G7-Cmaj7, and the thirds and sevenths of these chords are F-C, B-F, E-B; inverted for smoother voice leading, these become F-C, F-B, E-B.

The ii is sometimes replaced by the ii7, giving it a more dissonant, bluesy feel; this is especially common in turnarounds. Additionally, the ii can be treated like a temporary minor tonic, and preceded by its own "ii-V", extending the basic progression to a iii-VI-ii-V-I; again, this is quite common in turnarounds (with the iii-VI replacing the I in the second-to-last bar; in the example above, the last two bars would change from F7 | Gm-C7 to Am-D7 | Gm-C7).

The ii-V7-I can be further modified by applying a tritone substitution

Tritone substitution

In classical music, a substitute dominant is "a chord sufficiently akin to the dominant to be reasonably set against the tonic, and yet remote enough to give a chromatically expressive, large-scale dissonance to the structure"...

 to the V7 chord, replacing it with the II7 chord. This is possible because the II7 has the same third and seventh as the V7, but inverted; for example, the third and seventh of G7 are B and F, while the third and seventh of D7 are F and C, which is enharmonic

Enharmonic

In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently...

 to B. Performing this substitution (in this case, changing Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 to Dm7-D7-Cmaj7) creates smooth chromatic movement in the chord roots—the root of the ii (D) moves down a half-step to become the root of the II7 (D), which moves down another half-step to become the root of the I (C).

The tritone substitution, the substitution of II7 for V7, and the III-VI-II-V extension can be combined in different permutations to produce many different variations on the same basic progression—e.g. IIIm7-III7-IIm7-II7 Imaj7, III7 III7 II7 II7 I7, etc.
The backdoor progression

Backdoor progression

In jazz and jazz harmony, the chord progression from iv7 to VII7 to I has been nicknamed the backdoor progression or the backdoor ii-V. This name derives from an assumption that the normal progression to the tonic, the ii-V-I turnaround is, by inference, the front door...

 can be a substitution

Chord substitution

In music theory, chord substitution is the use of a chord in the place of another related chord in a chord progression. Jazz musicians often substitute chords in the original progression to create variety and add interest to a piece. The substitute chord must have some harmonic quality and degree...

 for ii-V-I using iv-VII-I.

The ii-V pair is also sometimes used without function (actually i-IV) in place of a minor tonic, to accommodate be-bop improvisations.

Classical

ii-V-I is part of the vi-ii-V-I progression of root movement by descending fifths, which establishes tonality and also strengthens the key through the contrast of minor and major.

In the tonal tradition, the ii-V-I progression is most often reserved for cadences

Cadence (music)

In Western musical theory, a cadence is, "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music...

, and is one of many often used cadential progressions. The ii, V, and I can all appear in inversion

Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices...

, although usually without significant alteration beyond the addition of sevenths. One very common implementation of ii-V-I in a classical piece would be this progression, where the ii chord appears in first inversion:
ii⁶-V⁷-I.

Minor key

In minor, a seventh chord built on the supertonic yields a half-diminished seventh chord

Half-diminished seventh chord

In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is created by taking the root, minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh of any major scale; for example, C half-diminished is . Its consecutive intervals are minor 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd...

, which is a very strong predominant chord

Predominant chord

In music theory, a predominant chord is any chord which normally resolves to a dominant chord. Examples of predominant chords are the subdominant , supertonic , Neapolitan sixth and German sixth. Other examples are the submediant , secondary dominant , iv and ii°...

. Due to what is considered the harsh nature of root position diminished chords, the ii chord most often appears in first inversion.

The ii chord appears in the natural minor scale and may be considered a minor seventh chord

Minor seventh chord

In music, a minor seventh chord is any nondominant seventh chord where the "third" note is a minor third above the root.Most typically, minor seventh chord refers to where the "seventh" note is a minor seventh above the root...

 with a flatted fifth

Tritone

In classical music from Western culture, the tritone |tone]]) is traditionally defined as a musical interval composed of three whole tones. In a chromatic scale, each whole tone can be further divided into two semitones...

and is used in the ii-V-I in minor

External links

• "Pink Floyd’s 'The Dark Side of the Moon', ii-V-I: A Softly Spoken Magic Spell" by Dave Sanderson (2006), www.flowerbedmusic.com