Chord Progression
I-vi-ii-V chord progression
Smooth jazz turnaround variant.
The shape
I — vi — ii — V
In real keys
The chords, key by key.
Built on the major scale, so it lives in the 15 major keys. Every chord below links to its own page — shapes on six instruments, audio, and the mistakes to avoid. Hit play to hear the whole cycle.
All 15 keys
Need a key that is not listed? Use the transposer.
Analysis
What each numeral is doing.
Roman numerals name a chord by its position in the key rather than by its letter, which is why one progression works in every key. Uppercase is major, lowercase is minor, ° is diminished, ø is half-diminished, and a leading ♭ lowers the root a semitone.
- I
Tonic
Home. Everything is measured against it and everything wants to return to it.
- vi
Submediant
The relative minor. Same notes as the tonic, opposite mood.
- ii
Supertonic
The classic set-up chord — it leans on the dominant and rarely stands alone.
- V
Dominant
Maximum tension. The leading tone inside it pulls hard back to the tonic.
Heard it before
Songs built on I-vi-ii-V.
- Heart and Soul
Styles
Genres that lean on it.
Why it works
The reason it sticks.
Smooth jazz turnaround variant. The memorable part is the motion: each chord pulls toward the next in a way that feels both surprising and inevitable, and the cycle closes cleanly enough that you can loop it for three minutes without anyone getting bored.
Once the I-vi-ii-V pattern is in your ear you will start hearing it everywhere. That is not a coincidence — writers reach for it because the tension-and-release shape is doing the emotional work before the melody even arrives. Change the key and nothing about that changes; only the letters do.
Next
Related jazz progressions
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
What is the I-vi-ii-V Chord Progression?
I-vi-ii-V is a progression built on the I, vi, ii, V scale degrees of any major key. Smooth jazz turnaround variant.
What are the I-vi-ii-V chords in C Major?
In C Major the progression is C – Am – Dm – G. The same shape transposes to all 15 major keys.
Which songs use the I-vi-ii-V progression?
Heart and Soul all use the I-vi-ii-V progression in some form.
Is the I-vi-ii-V progression hard to play?
Difficulty: intermediate. The 4-bar cycle repeats predictably, so once the chord shapes are under your fingers the progression flows on its own.
Can I transpose I-vi-ii-V to another key?
Yes — that is the point of roman-numeral analysis. Every key on this page is the same progression; pick the one that suits your voice or your open chords.