ii–V–I · A major
The ii–V–I in A major is Bm7 – E7 – A△7. Over Bm7 play Dorian (B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A); Over E7 play Mixolydian (E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D); Over A△7 play Ionian (major) (A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯). A major has three sharps; the G♯ in E7 is the note that makes the dominant pull, so lean on it when you play the V chord.
Interactive trainer
Piano · Bm7 with Dorian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · E7 with Mixolydian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · A△7 with Ionian (major)
Guitar · standard tuning
Click any chord card to see its scale, and tap any key or fret to hear that note. Turn on “+ Arpeggios” or “+ Scales” and the guitar or piano plays the line live over the vamp, lighting each note on the diagram as it sounds. All audio is synthesized in your browser — nothing is recorded or copyrighted.
Reference
| Function | Chord | Chord tones (1–3–5–7) | Chord-scale | Scale notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ii⁷ | Bm7 | B – D – F♯ – A | Dorian | B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A |
| V⁷ | E7 | E – G♯ – B – D | Mixolydian | E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D |
| I△ | A△7 | A – C♯ – E – G♯ | Ionian (major) | A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ |
| Guide tones | Bm7 | E7 | A△7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | D | G♯ | C♯ |
| 7th | A | D | G♯ |
How to practise this
1. Arpeggios in time. Loop the vamp at 70–90 bpm and play Bm7, E7, A△7 as 1–3–5–7 quarter notes, one chord per bar. Use the “+ Arpeggios” loop above to hear it played and copy the line.
2. Guide tones. Play only the 3rd and 7th of each chord: D–A → G♯–D → C♯–G♯. Notice that D, the 7th of E7, falls a half-step to C♯, the 3rd of A△7 — that is the resolution.
3. Chord-scales. Run Dorian on Bm7, Mixolydian on E7, Ionian (major) on A△7, then improvise keeping chord tones on beats 1 and 3.
4. Move it. When A is clean, go to D major — a fourth up — and keep going around the circle.
Embed
Teachers and bloggers: paste this snippet and your readers get the ii–V–I trainer (all twelve keys, piano and guitar, live audio) right on your page, starting in A. Free — it just links back here.
<iframe src="https://jazzmusics.com/embed/ii-v-i/?key=A" width="100%" height="560" style="border:0;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy" title="ii–V–I trainer by jazzmusics.com"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://jazzmusics.com/practice/ii-v-i/a-major/">ii–V–I in A major — jazzmusics.com</a></p>
Common questions
Bm7 – E7 – A△7. The ii chord is Bm7 (B, D, F♯, A); The V chord is E7 (E, G♯, B, D); The I chord is A△7 (A, C♯, E, G♯).
Bm7: Dorian (B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A). E7: Mixolydian (E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D). A△7: Ionian (major) (A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯).
The thirds and sevenths: D and A over Bm7, G♯ and D over E7, C♯ and G♯ over A△7. Each voice moves by a half-step or stays put — that is what makes the progression sound like it resolves.
Loop the vamp at a slow tempo, play each arpeggio 1–3–5–7 in time, then play each chord-scale up and down, then improvise using only chord tones on the strong beats. When it is clean, move to the next key around the circle of fourths.
All twelve keys
Same tonic, other quality: F♯ minor (the relative minor). The same key’s I–vi–ii–V turnaround adds the vi chord in front of this cadence. Read the theory in What is a ii–V–I?, or see the scales on their own pages: B Dorian, E Mixolydian, A Major.