Neo-soul · Advanced · major key
Neo-soul ii9–V9–Imaj9
ii9 – V9 – Imaj9 – Imaj9 — Lush extended chords — warm, soulful and relaxed.
Easiest guitar key: D major
Chord shapes in D 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 ii9 – V9 – Imaj9 – Imaj9 — in C major that is Dm9 – G9 – Cmaj9 – Cmaj9. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.
- ii9 — a soft minor chord that leads towards V (a "pre-dominant").
- V9 — the tension chord that wants to resolve home.
- Imaj9 — the home chord — the progression feels finished when it lands here.
Neo-soul ii9–V9–Imaj9 in all 12 keys
| Key | Chords | Hear / play |
|---|---|---|
| C major | Dm9G9Cmaj9Cmaj9 | Looper |
| G major | Am9D9Gmaj9Gmaj9 | Looper |
| D major | Em9A9Dmaj9Dmaj9 | Looper |
| A major | Bm9E9Amaj9Amaj9 | Looper |
| E major | F#m9B9Emaj9Emaj9 | Looper |
| B major | C#m9F#9Bmaj9Bmaj9 | Looper |
| F# major | G#m9C#9F#maj9F#maj9 | Looper |
| Db major | Ebm9Ab9Dbmaj9Dbmaj9 | Looper |
| Ab major | Bbm9Eb9Abmaj9Abmaj9 | Looper |
| Eb major | Fm9Bb9Ebmaj9Ebmaj9 | Looper |
| Bb major | Cm9F9Bbmaj9Bbmaj9 | Looper |
| F major | Gm9C9Fmaj9Fmaj9 | Looper |
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 D 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 D major pentatonic or D 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
- ii–V–I–VI turnaround ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – VI7
- "Fly Me to the Moon" cycle vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – IVmaj7 – viiø7 – III7 – vi7
- City pop loop IVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7
- Jazz circle iii–vi–ii–V–I iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- Bossa ii9–V9–Imaj9–VI7 ii9 – V9 – Imaj9 – VI7
- Rhythm changes A section Imaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – V7
← Major line cliché · Lo-fi loop (IVmaj7–iii7–ii7–Imaj7) →
← All 198 chord progressions · Generate a new one
Questions
What chords are in the ii9 – V9 – Imaj9 – Imaj9 progression?
In D major: Em9 – A9 – Dmaj9 – Dmaj9. In C major / A minor: Dm9 – G9 – Cmaj9 – Cmaj9. The table on this page lists all 12 keys.
What is the best key to play ii9 – V9 – Imaj9 – Imaj9 on guitar?
D major uses the most open-position chord shapes in standard tuning. Use a capo with those shapes to reach other keys.