The essential functional cadence: the third and seventh of G7 resolve by step into stable tones of Cmaj7.
Jazz Chord Progressions
C Major · Auto · Jazz
Preparing progression…
Preparing progression…
Functional and Modal Jazz Progressions
Jazz harmony treats chord quality and voice leading as part of the progression itself. Seventh chords, dominant motion and guide tones can carry more information than the roots alone. The generator includes both functional major-key movement and modal colors such as Dorian and Mixolydian, with voicings designed to keep important tones connected.
A longer turnaround that cycles through functional areas while keeping the guide-tone movement smooth and predictable.
A modal vamp rather than a major-key cadence. The B natural inside G7 exposes Dorian's characteristic natural sixth.
Guide tones matter more than root motion alone
The third and seventh usually tell you more about a jazz chord's function than a doubled root. Smooth movement between those guide tones can make a progression sound coherent even when extensions such as ninths or thirteenths add extra color.
Not every jazz progression is a ii–V–I. Modal vamps deliberately reduce functional motion and let the scale color become the focus. That is why Dorian and Mixolydian are useful alongside ordinary major and minor contexts in the studio.
Want the theory behind the Roman numerals, inversions and chord colors? Browse the Learn guides.