The 2 - 5 - 1: One Progression To Rule Them All

Jazz is likely one of the most intricate and complex music styles to date. However! When you examine the music more closely, you'll notice that many of our cherished jazz standards utilize very similar chord progressions.

One of the most important progressions, if not the most important, is the 2 - 5 - 1 progression.

In this post, I will begin by explaining what a 2-5-1 progression is, and then provide several ideas on how to play a 2-5-1 progression, ranging from simple methods to more complex approaches.

What is a 2 - 5 - 1 Progression?

Well, truth be told, it is a very simple idea! 

First, you must decide in which key you are playing. Let’s take the C major scale for this example.

The notes of the C major scale are: C - D - E - F - G - A - B 

And we can also number these notes in order of appearance.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D… 

1 -  2 - 3 - 4 - 5 -  6 - 7 -  1 - 2 …

Now, let’s transform each one of these notes into a diatonic chord (diatonic means only using the notes of the scale):

1 - Cmaj7 (C - E - G - B)

2 - Dm7 (D - F - A - C)

3 - Em7 (E - G - B - D)

4 - Fmaj7 (F - A - C - E)

5 - G7 (G - B - D - F)

6 - Am7 (A - C - E - G)

7 - Bm7b5 (Half diminished) (B - D - F - A)

Okay! Now, in order to play a 2 - 5 - 1 progression, just play the second (2) chord - Dm7 then the five (5) chord - G7 and lastly the one (1) chord - Cmaj7.

Before diving into how to play these progressions on the guitar in different ways, I suggest taking some time to identify the chords for the 2 - 5 - 1 progression in several other keys. This will help you become familiar with the various chords in each key.

If you find yourself stuck, I've created a small table here to assist you!

Key	2 (ii)	5 (V)	1 (I)
C	Dm7	G7	Cmaj7
F	Gm7	C7	Fmaj7
Bb	Cm7	F7	Bbamj7
Eb	Fm7	Bb7	Ebmaj7
Ab	Bbm7	Eb7	Abmaj7
Db	Ebm7	Ab7	Dbmaj7
Gb/F#	Ab/G#m7	Db/C#7	Gb/F#maj7
B	C#m7	F#7	Bmaj7
E	F#m7	B7	Emaj7
A	Bm7	E7	Amaj7
D	Em7	A7	Dmaj7
G	Am7	D7	Gmaj7

How to even play a 2 - 5 - 1 progression?

In this next section, I will share with you some ways to play a 2-5-1 progression. 

Each example will expand on the idea of the progression by adding more notes to the basic shell voicing chord, using different tensions for each chord, and even replacing some chords with substitute chords.

Let’s get started!

Example 1.1: The most important of them all

Example 1.2 : Similar but a little bit different 

Example 2: Adding the 5 to the mix 

Example 3.1 : Adding extensions (9, 11, 13)

Example 3.2

Example 4.1 : Adding tensions 

Example 4.2

Example 5 : Chord substitutes (Tritone Substitute)

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Mastering the 2-5-1 progression is key for anyone looking to dive into playing jazz music. It is the most commonly used progression in this style of music and a huge part of this amazing language.

The more proficient you are in this progression, the better player you will become! So make sure to learn these examples in every key and position on the guitar.

And don't forget to always keep experimenting and looking for new ways to play this progression. Try to add notes to it or take some away, try different sets of strings, try playing with and without the root of the chord, and so on.

For more information about learning music, guitar, and chord progressions contact me today.

Gal Dornay