Chord progressions
The ii–V–I chord progression
ii–V–I moves from the minor chord on the second note of the key to the dominant chord on the fifth and lands on the home chord. Jazz plays it with sevenths: in C major it is Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7.
Hear it, then play it
Play each chord in turn: press all of its notes, in any order and any octave, before moving on. The chords are in C major.
Play Dm7 (0 of 3 chords done)
Why it works
Each chord's root falls a fifth to the next one, the strongest move in tonal harmony: D to G, then G to C. The seventh of each chord also slides down a step into the next chord, so the voices move smoothly.
Where you hear it
Jazz standards such as "Autumn Leaves" and "Fly Me to the Moon" are strings of ii–V–Is, often passing through several keys. Practising it in all 12 keys is a classic jazz exercise.