Extended ii–V–I Turnaround iii-vi-ii-V
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
A long circle-of-fifths run-up to the tonic: iii, vi and ii each pull to the next by descending fifth before the final V delivers the cadence — a favorite way jazz and ragtime writers stretch a two-bar turnaround into four.
What each degree does
The mediant — the most ambiguous, ethereal diatonic degree, halfway between tonic and dominant. It shares notes with both and never quite commits — dreamy.
The relative minor — the tonic's reflective shadow. It often replaces I in a deceptive cadence, where you expected home and its sad side arrives instead.
The predominant par excellence — a soft minor leaning toward the dominant. It's the first step of the classic ii–V–I.
Tension pulling home — the chord that 'wants to resolve' to I; it closes or opens sections. The dominant, the engine of the key.