The ii–V–I is the most common chord move in jazz and much of pop. Orfeo can play it for you in any key, voiced the way a pianist would, so you can play along and walk it through all twelve keys.
Click C at the top of the circle. The C major scale plays and lights on the keyboard.
In the Progressions list in the right-hand column, choose Jazz Standard (ii–V–I).
Set Chord voicing to Smooth, so each chord moves as little as possible from the one before, the way you would comp it.
Click PLAY under the list, listen once, then play along with the lit keys.
Click the next key clockwise on the circle (G, then D, A and so on) and play it again. After twelve keys you are back at C.
Variations
Richer chords: in the Chords Explorer, the Style list swaps plain triads for jazz 7ths, 9ths and 13ths. Try Coltrane or Velvet, or Ipanema, which swaps the V for the dominant a tritone away: Dm11 – D♭7♯11 – Cmaj9 in C, a classic jazz substitution.
Counter-clockwise: going the other way round the circle (C, F, B♭…) is how ii–V–I chains appear in many standards.
Minor keys: click the inner ring for a minor key and choose Minor Jazz (ii°–V–i). Progressions play exactly as their numerals say, so Jazz Standard would stay major.
Slower or faster: Playback speed in the right-hand column sets slow, medium or fast.
Tip
Stuck on one chord? Click its tile and step through its inversions with the arrows to find the shape that sits closest to your hand.
