Jazz chord progressions

The ii–V–I and the turnarounds jazz is built on, in 7th chords over a swing beat. Generate new ones in any key and take them to your DAW as MIDI.

Dreamy jazz · C major

How to use it

  1. Generate. The tool opens on Jazz: 7th chords and a swing beat at 120 BPM. Pick a key and a mood, and press Generate.
  2. Make it yours. Lock the chords you like and swap the rest for others that fit. Drag cards to change the order. Switch to Guitar to see the shapes and hear them strummed.
  3. Take it away. Download it as MIDI at your tempo, with the drums if you like.

What makes a progression sound jazzy

  • 7th chords everywhere. Jazz rarely plays plain triads. A major 7th (Cmaj7) sounds warm and settled, a minor 7th (Dm7) soft, a dominant 7th (G7) restless.
  • The ii–V–I. The backbone of jazz harmony: a minor 7th on the 2nd note of the key, a dominant 7th on the 5th, then home. In C: Dm7, G7, Cmaj7. Standards chain them together, moving through keys.
  • Turnarounds. Short loops that lead back to the start, like I–vi–ii–V. They keep a tune cycling.

Famous jazz chord progressions

In C, the minor one in A minor. Play one, or open it in the tool to change its key and download it.

  1. The ii–V–I · Autumn Leaves

  2. Rhythm changes · I Got Rhythm

  3. The vi–ii–V–I · Fly Me to the Moon

  4. The I–II–ii–V · Take the A Train

  5. The minor ii–V–i · Blue Bossa

  6. Blues in 8 bars · Johnny B. Goode

The 7th chords of C major

The chords a jazz progression in C starts from, before it borrows from other keys:

More chord progressions

Heard a progression you love?

A chord for every half bar, from anything your Mac plays.

Questions

What is the most common jazz chord progression?

The ii–V–I: Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 in C. Most standards are built from it, in major and in minor (iiø7–V7–i, like Bm7♭5, E7, Am7 in A minor).

What chords are used in jazz?

Mostly 7th chords: major 7ths on I and IV, minor 7ths on ii, iii and vi, a dominant 7th on V and a half-diminished chord on vii. Players add 9ths, 11ths and 13ths on top. Set the tool to Extended to hear them.

What are rhythm changes?

The chords of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm", one of the most borrowed progressions in jazz. Its opening section loops I–vi–ii–V: Cmaj7, Am7, Dm7, G7 in C.

How do I use these progressions in my DAW?

Download MIDI and drag the file onto a piano or keys track in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio or GarageBand. It has one chord per bar at your tempo. With Include drums on, the swing beat comes along as General MIDI drums on channel 10.

Can I use these progressions in my songs?

Yes. Chord progressions can't be owned, and what you make with them is yours.

Piano sounds by the Salamander Grand Piano (Alexander Holm), CC BY 3.0. Guitar sounds from the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios.

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