ii–V–I Jazz Turnaround ii-V-I-vi
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
The single most important cadence in jazz. The supertonic minor seventh (ii) sets up the dominant (V) by the strongest root motion — a descending fifth — which resolves to the tonic (I); the trailing vi loops the phrase back for another chorus.
What each degree does
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.
Feels like home — complete rest, where the piece departs from and returns to. The major tonic, where everything settles.
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.