Modulating II-V Patterns
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The ii-V chord pattern is very important in some styles, especially Jazz and Latin. In some case, it repeats pretty much endlessly.
So basically, you end up with the ii and V chords of one key, then the ii and V chords from another key, and so on.
One of the more common ways to do this is to morph the V chord into the ii chord of another key by changing it from a dominant 7th chord to a minor seventh chord. For instance, if we do a ii-V in F major, we'll have G-7 and C7. Then if we take that C7 and turn it into C-7, we can think of that as the ii of Bb major followed by an F7, for another ii-V. This can go on forever.
So I am going to show you an example. This can basically go on forever if you want it to.
Learn the patterns, and apply them to your own playing.
It’s better not to say the “J” word without just cause, but it is called for here. In Jazz music, many tunes are based on the ii-V chord progression. These ii-V’s can move across many potential keys.
One common method used to travel across many ii-V’s is to pivot the V into a minor chord, and then let this minor chord serve as the ii of another V to follow. We will explore this method in this lesson.
Key Changes
Since this lesson crosses several keys, the keys will be color-coded to add clarity.
Scales
In addition to the chords, each ii-V will have a major scale attached to it for improvisation and reference.
The Chord Progression
| G-7 | C7 | C-7 | F7 |
| F-7 | B♭7 | B♭-7 | E♭7 |
The Fretboard Patterns
G-7
Key of F major
C7
Key of F major
F major scale (For G-7 C7 ii-V)
Key of F major
C-7
Key of B♭ major
F7
Key of B♭ major
B♭ major scale (For C-7 F7 ii-V)
Key of B♭ major
F-7
Key of E♭ major
B♭7
Key of E♭ major
E♭ major scale (For F-7 B♭7 ii-V)
Key of E♭ major
B♭-7
Key of A♭ major
E♭7
Key of A♭ major
A♭ major scale (For B♭-7 E♭7 ii-V)
Key of A♭ major
Key Exercises
- Learn, memorize, and apply the paterns.
- Play the chord progression, using the scale to improvise short melodies between each chord.
- Practice improvising over a set of ii-V’s that proceed along this progression until reaching the original chord again.
As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.