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ii–V–I arpeggios
The most common chord progression in jazz, sung through its chord tones: minor seventh up, dominant down and major seventh at the end. Eighth notes in swing.
The ii–V–I is the most common chord progression in jazz, and here you sing it as three arpeggios. First comes a minor seventh chord going up, then a dominant seventh chord going down, then a major seventh chord going up, ending on the major seventh, one semitone below the octave. Each chord takes four swung notes, so the harmony changes under you every four notes. “Doo” keeps the leaps smooth and connected.
How to do it
- Listen to the count-in, then sing with the piano on “doo”, four notes to each chord.
- Sing the first chord up, the second down, the third up. The harmony changes after every fourth note.
- Check the roll at the first change: the top of chord one steps down a single semitone into chord two.
- Land on the final major seventh and hold it for two beats, just under the octave.
- After the short rest, the next repetition starts a semitone higher.
Coach's tip: Listen for where the chord changes – every four notes are a new chord. The major seventh at the end sits just below the octave: hold it there, don’t pull it up.
What to watch out for
The major seventh at the end is the hardest note. It sits a semitone below the octave, so the voice wants to pull it upward and the block turns sharp. Hold it exactly where the piano plays it. The move between the first two chords is a single semitone, easy to miss when you're thinking in big leaps. Slow the tempo until each chord sounds clean. Stop if the top notes feel strained.
Who it's for
For singers around level 3 who know Major triad 1-3-5-3-1 and are ready to string chords together. Use it in the main block, once the voice is warm. Before it, Dominant chord 1-3-5-b7-8 gives you the middle chord on its own. It isn't in a program yet, but it belongs to the Jazz style, so it appears in the daily training when you pick it.
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Related exercises
- Dominant chord 1-3-5-b7-8 A minor seventh between the fifth and the octave – a bluesy sound.
- Arpeggio to the tenth 1-3-5-8-10 A major triad through the octave up to the third above it (a tenth) and back. Almost an octave and a half – the harder relative of the 1-3-5-8-5-3-1 arpeggio.
- 1-3-5-8-5-3-1 Chord with the octave. The most popular exercise in singing lessons.
- Minor triad The broken minor chord.
- Scat warm-up in swing Root, second, third, fifth and back down – lightly, on “doo-bee”. Swing rhythm: the first note of each pair is longer, the second short, as in jazz.
- Major pentatonic Five notes that almost all pop runs are built from.