ii–V–I · C major
The ii–V–I in C major is Dm7 – G7 – C△7. Over Dm7 play Dorian (D E F G A B C); Over G7 play Mixolydian (G A B C D E F); Over C△7 play Ionian (major) (C D E F G A B). C has no sharps or flats, which is exactly why it is worth practising with your ears rather than your eyes: nothing on the page tells you where the colour tones are.
Interactive trainer
Piano · Dm7 with Dorian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · G7 with Mixolydian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · C△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 | Dm7 | D – F – A – C | Dorian | D E F G A B C |
| V⁷ | G7 | G – B – D – F | Mixolydian | G A B C D E F |
| I△ | C△7 | C – E – G – B | Ionian (major) | C D E F G A B |
| Guide tones | Dm7 | G7 | C△7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | F | B | E |
| 7th | C | F | B |
How to practise this
1. Arpeggios in time. Loop the vamp at 70–90 bpm and play Dm7, G7, C△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: F–C → B–F → E–B. Notice that F, the 7th of G7, falls a half-step to E, the 3rd of C△7 — that is the resolution.
3. Chord-scales. Run Dorian on Dm7, Mixolydian on G7, Ionian (major) on C△7, then improvise keeping chord tones on beats 1 and 3.
4. Move it. When C is clean, go to F 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 C. Free — it just links back here.
<iframe src="https://jazzmusics.com/embed/ii-v-i/?key=C" 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/c-major/">ii–V–I in C major — jazzmusics.com</a></p>
Common questions
Dm7 – G7 – C△7. The ii chord is Dm7 (D, F, A, C); The V chord is G7 (G, B, D, F); The I chord is C△7 (C, E, G, B).
Dm7: Dorian (D E F G A B C). G7: Mixolydian (G A B C D E F). C△7: Ionian (major) (C D E F G A B).
The thirds and sevenths: F and C over Dm7, B and F over G7, E and B over C△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: A 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: D Dorian, G Mixolydian, C Major.