ii–V–I · E♭ major
The ii–V–I in E♭ major is Fm7 – B♭7 – E♭△7. Over Fm7 play Dorian (F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭); Over B♭7 play Mixolydian (B♭ C D E♭ F G A♭); Over E♭△7 play Ionian (major) (E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D). E♭ major is the most common key in the big-band and horn repertoire, so the Fm7 – B♭7 – E♭maj7 cadence is one to own in every position.
Interactive trainer
Piano · Fm7 with Dorian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · B♭7 with Mixolydian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · E♭△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 | Fm7 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ | Dorian | F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ |
| V⁷ | B♭7 | B♭ – D – F – A♭ | Mixolydian | B♭ C D E♭ F G A♭ |
| I△ | E♭△7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D | Ionian (major) | E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D |
| Guide tones | Fm7 | B♭7 | E♭△7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | A♭ | D | G |
| 7th | E♭ | A♭ | D |
How to practise this
1. Arpeggios in time. Loop the vamp at 70–90 bpm and play Fm7, B♭7, E♭△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: A♭–E♭ → D–A♭ → G–D. Notice that A♭, the 7th of B♭7, falls a half-step to G, the 3rd of E♭△7 — that is the resolution.
3. Chord-scales. Run Dorian on Fm7, Mixolydian on B♭7, Ionian (major) on E♭△7, then improvise keeping chord tones on beats 1 and 3.
4. Move it. When E♭ is clean, go to A♭ 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 E♭. Free — it just links back here.
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<p><a href="https://jazzmusics.com/practice/ii-v-i/eb-major/">ii–V–I in E♭ major — jazzmusics.com</a></p>
Common questions
Fm7 – B♭7 – E♭△7. The ii chord is Fm7 (F, A♭, C, E♭); The V chord is B♭7 (B♭, D, F, A♭); The I chord is E♭△7 (E♭, G, B♭, D).
Fm7: Dorian (F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭). B♭7: Mixolydian (B♭ C D E♭ F G A♭). E♭△7: Ionian (major) (E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D).
The thirds and sevenths: A♭ and E♭ over Fm7, D and A♭ over B♭7, G and D over E♭△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: C 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: F Dorian, B♭ Mixolydian, E♭ Major.