Neo-soul · Advanced · major key
"Just the Two of Us" progression
IVmaj7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I7 — Smooth, late-night R&B. The III7 and v7–I7 give it a sophisticated city-pop colour (in Japan: the Marunouchi progression).
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 IVmaj7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I7 — in C major that is Fmaj7 – E7 – Am7 – Gm7 – C7. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.
- IVmaj7 — a bright, open chord a fourth above home — the "amen" chord.
- III7 — a major chord where you expect minor: points strongly to vi.
- vi7 — the relative minor — the "sad" chord of a major key.
- v7 — a minor five: a softer, folkier pull back to the home chord.
- I7 — the home chord — the progression feels finished when it lands here.
"Just the Two of Us" progression in all 12 keys
| Key | Chords | Hear / play |
|---|---|---|
| C major | Fmaj7E7Am7Gm7C7 | Looper |
| G major | Cmaj7B7Em7Dm7G7 | Looper |
| D major | Gmaj7F#7Bm7Am7D7 | Looper |
| A major | Dmaj7C#7F#m7Em7A7 | Looper |
| E major | Amaj7G#7C#m7Bm7E7 | Looper |
| B major | Emaj7D#7G#m7F#m7B7 | Looper |
| F# major | Bmaj7A#7D#m7C#m7F#7 | Looper |
| Db major | Gbmaj7F7Bbm7Abm7Db7 | Looper |
| Ab major | Dbmaj7C7Fm7Ebm7Ab7 | Looper |
| Eb major | Abmaj7G7Cm7Bbm7Eb7 | Looper |
| Bb major | Ebmaj7D7Gm7Fm7Bb7 | Looper |
| F major | Bbmaj7A7Dm7Cm7F7 | Looper |
Songs that use it
- Just the Two of Us — Grover Washington Jr. & Bill Withers
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
- Bird blues (Parker changes) Imaj7 – viiø7 – III7 – vi7 – II7 – v7 – I7 – IV7 – iv7 – ♭VII7 – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – ♭III7 – ii7 – V7
- Imaj7–vi7–IVmaj7–V7 Imaj7 – vi7 – IVmaj7 – V7
- "Fly Me to the Moon" cycle vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – IVmaj7 – viiø7 – III7 – vi7
- I–III7–vi–IV I – III7 – vi – IV
- I–I+–vi–IV (augmented passing) I – I+ – vi – IV
- City pop loop IVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7
← Royal Road (J-pop "ōdō" progression) · Jazz ii–V–I →
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Questions
What chords are in the IVmaj7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I7 progression?
In G major: Cmaj7 – B7 – Em7 – Dm7 – G7. In C major / A minor: Fmaj7 – E7 – Am7 – Gm7 – C7. The table on this page lists all 12 keys.
What is the best key to play IVmaj7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I7 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 "just the two of us" progression?
For example: Just the Two of Us — Grover Washington Jr. & Bill Withers.