Bossa nova · Advanced · major key
Bossa nova I–II7–ii–♭II7
Imaj7 – II7 – ii7 – ♭II7 — Floating and sophisticated. The ♭II7 is a "tritone substitute" sliding by half step back home.
Easiest guitar key: G major
Chord shapes in G major (standard tuning)
Using a different tuning? Open it in the Looper — it finds playable shapes for whatever tuning you choose.
How the chords work
Written in Roman numerals, this progression is Imaj7 – II7 – ii7 – ♭II7 — in C major that is Cmaj7 – D7 – Dm7 – Db7. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.
- Imaj7 — the home chord — the progression feels finished when it lands here.
- II7 — a major II — the "V of V", brightening the way to V.
- ii7 — a soft minor chord that leads towards V (a "pre-dominant").
- ♭II7 — a major chord a half step above home: exotic and tense.
Bossa nova I–II7–ii–♭II7 in all 12 keys
| Key | Chords | Hear / play |
|---|---|---|
| C major | Cmaj7D7Dm7Db7 | Looper |
| G major | Gmaj7A7Am7Ab7 | Looper |
| D major | Dmaj7E7Em7Eb7 | Looper |
| A major | Amaj7B7Bm7Bb7 | Looper |
| E major | Emaj7F#7F#m7F7 | Looper |
| B major | Bmaj7C#7C#m7C7 | Looper |
| F# major | F#maj7G#7G#m7G7 | Looper |
| Db major | Dbmaj7Eb7Ebm7D7 | Looper |
| Ab major | Abmaj7Bb7Bbm7A7 | Looper |
| Eb major | Ebmaj7F7Fm7E7 | Looper |
| Bb major | Bbmaj7C7Cm7B7 | Looper |
| F major | Fmaj7G7Gm7Gb7 | Looper |
Songs that use it
- The Girl from Ipanema — Antônio Carlos Jobim
Song examples use this progression (or a very close variant) in at least one main section; keys and voicings differ.
Practice ideas
- Beginners: play one strum per chord and say the chord names out loud, then two strums, then a steady down-down-up-up-down-up pattern.
- Change keys with a capo: keep the G major shapes and move a capo up — the capo calculator shows which fret gives the key you want.
- Solo over it: loop it in the Looper and improvise with the G major pentatonic or G major scale — the scale pages show every position and play a backing track.
- Train your ear: the progression ear trainer mixes this with similar progressions until you can tell them apart.
Similar progressions
- Bossa ii9–V9–Imaj9–VI7 ii9 – V9 – Imaj9 – VI7
- Tritone-substitute ii–♭II–I ii7 – ♭II7 – Imaj7
- Bird blues (Parker changes) Imaj7 – viiø7 – III7 – vi7 – II7 – v7 – I7 – IV7 – iv7 – ♭VII7 – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – ♭III7 – ii7 – V7
- Jazz blues I7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – ♯iv°7 – I7 – VI7 – ii7 – V7 – I7 – V7
- Montgomery-Ward bridge (I7–IV–II7–V) I7 – IV – II7 – V
- City pop loop IVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7
← "Fly Me to the Moon" cycle · Tritone-substitute ii–♭II–I →
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Questions
What chords are in the Imaj7 – II7 – ii7 – ♭II7 progression?
In G major: Gmaj7 – A7 – Am7 – Ab7. In C major / A minor: Cmaj7 – D7 – Dm7 – Db7. The table on this page lists all 12 keys.
What is the best key to play Imaj7 – II7 – ii7 – ♭II7 on guitar?
G major uses the most open-position chord shapes in standard tuning. Use a capo with those shapes to reach other keys.
What songs use the bossa nova i–ii7–ii–♭ii7?
For example: The Girl from Ipanema — Antônio Carlos Jobim.