The most common chord changes in 1,454 jazz standards

The most common progressions

Every chord is named by where it sits in the tune’s key, so the same move in any key counts as one. Tap a progression for the tunes that use it; the ones with a page here are linked.

How to read it: Roman numerals count up the scale from the home chord (I). Upper case is a major chord, lower case a minor one, 7 a dominant seventh, ø half-diminished, ° diminished; ♭ and ♯ are chords off the scale. Each row is also spelled out in C.

1. 1V7–Iin C major: G7–C82%974 tunes
2. 2ii–V7in C major: Dm–G780%947 tunes
3. 3VI7–iiin C major: A7–Dm57%673 tunes
4. 4iii–VI7in C major: Em–A744%520 tunes
5. 5I7–IVin C major: C7–F42%495 tunes
6. 6vi–II7in C major: Am–D736%432 tunes
7. 7v–I7in C major: Gm–C736%429 tunes
8. 8I–iiin C major: C–Dm34%399 tunes
9. 9II7–iiin C major: D7–Dm30%358 tunes
10. 10II7–V7in C major: D7–G729%347 tunes
11. 11III7–viin C major: E7–Am28%339 tunes
12. 12I–viin C major: C–Am25%298 tunes
13. 13vi–iiin C major: Am–Dm25%293 tunes
14. 14VI7–II7in C major: A7–D724%283 tunes
15. 15I–VI7in C major: C–A722%266 tunes

1. 1ii–V7–Iin C major: Dm–G7–C70%833 tunes
2. 2VI7–ii–V7in C major: A7–Dm–G748%570 tunes
3. 3iii–VI7–iiin C major: Em–A7–Dm35%413 tunes
4. 4v–I7–IVin C major: Gm–C7–F29%350 tunes
5. 5V7–I–iiin C major: G7–C–Dm29%345 tunes
6. 6II7–ii–V7in C major: D7–Dm–G727%323 tunes
7. 7I–ii–V7in C major: C–Dm–G726%314 tunes
8. 8vi–ii–V7in C major: Am–Dm–G722%264 tunes
9. 9II7–V7–Iin C major: D7–G7–C21%252 tunes
10. 10vi–II7–iiin C major: Am–D7–Dm20%241 tunes
11. 11V7–I–viin C major: G7–C–Am19%230 tunes
12. 12I–v–I7in C major: C–Gm–C718%213 tunes
13. 13I–vi–iiin C major: C–Am–Dm18%212 tunes
14. 14ii–V7–iiiin C major: Dm–G7–Em17%198 tunes
15. 15VI7–II7–V7in C major: A7–D7–G716%196 tunes

1. 1VI7–ii–V7–Iin C major: A7–Dm–G7–C39%467 tunes
2. 2iii–VI7–ii–V7in C major: Em–A7–Dm–G731%363 tunes
3. 3V7–I–ii–V7in C major: G7–C–Dm–G724%283 tunes
4. 4ii–V7–I–iiin C major: Dm–G7–C–Dm23%273 tunes
5. 5II7–ii–V7–Iin C major: D7–Dm–G7–C21%249 tunes
6. 6vi–II7–ii–V7in C major: Am–D7–Dm–G718%209 tunes
7. 7I–vi–ii–V7in C major: C–Am–Dm–G717%205 tunes
8. 8ii–V7–I–viin C major: Dm–G7–C–Am16%193 tunes
9. 9vi–ii–V7–Iin C major: Am–Dm–G7–C16%193 tunes
10. 10V7–I–v–I7in C major: G7–C–Gm–C715%181 tunes
11. 11V7–I–vi–iiin C major: G7–C–Am–Dm15%178 tunes
12. 12I–VI7–ii–V7in C major: C–A7–Dm–G714%171 tunes
13. 13I–v–I7–IVin C major: C–Gm–C7–F14%166 tunes
14. 14VI7–II7–V7–Iin C major: A7–D7–G7–C13%159 tunes
15. 15V7–iii–VI7–iiin C major: G7–Em–A7–Dm13%154 tunes

1. 1V7–iin C minor: G7–Cm75%197 tunes
2. 2iiø–V7in C minor: Dm7♭5–G750%131 tunes
3. 3iv–♭VII7in C minor: Fm–B♭731%81 tunes
4. 4I7–ivin C minor: C7–Fm30%78 tunes
5. 5♭VII7–♭IIIin C minor: B♭7–E♭30%78 tunes
6. 6i–ivin C minor: Cm–Fm28%75 tunes
7. 7i–iiøin C minor: Cm–Dm7♭525%67 tunes
8. 8♭VI7–V7in C minor: A♭7–G724%64 tunes
9. 9i–V7in C minor: Cm–G723%62 tunes
10. 10i–IV7in C minor: Cm–F722%59 tunes
11. 11II7–V7in C minor: D7–G719%49 tunes
12. 12♭vii–♭III7in C minor: B♭m–E♭719%49 tunes
13. 13♭III7–♭VIin C minor: E♭7–A♭16%43 tunes
14. 14♭iii–♭VI7in C minor: E♭m–A♭714%38 tunes
15. 15i–I7in C minor: Cm–C714%37 tunes

1. 1iiø–V7–iin C minor: Dm7♭5–G7–Cm45%119 tunes
2. 2i–iiø–V7in C minor: Cm–Dm7♭5–G724%63 tunes
3. 3V7–i–iiøin C minor: G7–Cm–Dm7♭522%58 tunes
4. 4iv–♭VII7–♭IIIin C minor: Fm–B♭7–E♭21%56 tunes
5. 5♭VI7–V7–iin C minor: A♭7–G7–Cm20%54 tunes
6. 6V7–i–V7in C minor: G7–Cm–G719%49 tunes
7. 7V7–i–ivin C minor: G7–Cm–Fm17%44 tunes
8. 8i–V7–iin C minor: Cm–G7–Cm15%39 tunes
9. 9I7–iv–♭VII7in C minor: C7–Fm–B♭714%38 tunes
10. 10II7–V7–iin C minor: D7–G7–Cm14%38 tunes
11. 11♭vii–♭III7–♭VIin C minor: B♭m–E♭7–A♭12%33 tunes
12. 12V7–i–I7in C minor: G7–Cm–C712%31 tunes
13. 13i–iv–♭VII7in C minor: Cm–Fm–B♭711%29 tunes
14. 14V7–i–IV7in C minor: G7–Cm–F711%29 tunes
15. 15i–I7–ivin C minor: Cm–C7–Fm10%27 tunes

1. 1V7–i–iiø–V7in C minor: G7–Cm–Dm7♭5–G720%53 tunes
2. 2i–iiø–V7–iin C minor: Cm–Dm7♭5–G7–Cm19%50 tunes
3. 3iiø–V7–i–iiøin C minor: Dm7♭5–G7–Cm–Dm7♭516%41 tunes
4. 4V7–i–V7–iin C minor: G7–Cm–G7–Cm11%30 tunes
5. 5I7–iv–♭VII7–♭IIIin C minor: C7–Fm–B♭7–E♭9%25 tunes
6. 6i–iv–♭VII7–♭IIIin C minor: Cm–Fm–B♭7–E♭9%25 tunes
7. 7iiø–V7–i–ivin C minor: Dm7♭5–G7–Cm–Fm9%24 tunes
8. 8♭III–iiø–V7–iin C minor: E♭–Dm7♭5–G7–Cm9%24 tunes
9. 9V7–i–I7–ivin C minor: G7–Cm–C7–Fm8%22 tunes
10. 10♭VI–iiø–V7–iin C minor: A♭–Dm7♭5–G7–Cm8%22 tunes
11. 11♭VII7–♭III–iiø–V7in C minor: B♭7–E♭–Dm7♭5–G78%22 tunes
12. 12iiø–V7–i–V7in C minor: Dm7♭5–G7–Cm–G78%21 tunes
13. 13V7–i–iv–♭VII7in C minor: G7–Cm–Fm–B♭78%21 tunes
14. 14iv–iiø–V7–iin C minor: Fm–Dm7♭5–G7–Cm7%19 tunes
15. 15i–♭VI7–V7–iin C minor: Cm–A♭7–G7–Cm7%19 tunes

Same changes, different tune

Jazz players often write a new tune over an old tune’s chords, and some forms are shared by dozens of tunes. Three shared forms, found by a simple rule each, then the charts that are near-copies of one another.

Near-identical charts

Same length, and at least 80% of bars the same chords, each in its own key.

How tunes start and end

Six in ten major-key tunes start on the home chord. At the other end, 43% of the charts finish on V7 and only 30% on I: charts are written to loop, so the last bar is often a turnaround that sends the band back to the top for the next chorus.