ii iii V vi Chord Progression

In the key of C major the ii-iii-V-vi progression is Dm Em G Am. In the Nashville Number System it is written 2m 3m 5 6m.

Jump to the chords and audio in C, G, D, A and E

Why it works

Diatonic with no tonic chord at all, one of the 'absent tonic' shapes. The chords climb to vi and imply A minor rather than C major. It suits modern loops where the key is left slightly ambiguous.

How to use it

Usually we see mostly major chords with an added minor or two, but in this case we have a progression with all the minor scale degrees. This chord order can vary at times but the song will mostly contain the ii, iii, and vi.

Songs that use it

These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.

SongArtistSectionChordsKey
Not a Second TimeThe Beatlesmiddle sectionAm Bm G Em, Am Bm D7 EmG major
Computer LoveZappchorusBm7 C#m7 E F#m (ii7 iii7 V vi)A major
Be With YouBeyoncechorusFm Gm Bb Cm9 (iv v VII i9 in C minor, which is ii iii V vi in Eb)C minor
SpiderwebsNo DoubtverseBb Cm Dm F Gm (I ii iii V vi)Bb major
Livin' On LoveAJRchorusBb Cm Dm F Gm (I ii iii V vi)Bb major

ii iii V vi Chord Progression: Chords and Audio in C, G, D, A and E

Press play to hear each key. The diagrams show the shapes used in the audio, and every chord links to its full page.

Key of C major

Dm Dm guitar chord diagram
Em Em guitar chord diagram
G G guitar chord diagram
Am Am guitar chord diagram

Key of G major

Am Am guitar chord diagram
Bm Bm guitar chord diagram
D D guitar chord diagram
Em Em guitar chord diagram

Key of D major

Em Em guitar chord diagram
F#m F#m guitar chord diagram
A A guitar chord diagram
Bm Bm guitar chord diagram

Key of A major

Bm Bm guitar chord diagram
C#m C#m guitar chord diagram
E E guitar chord diagram
F#m F#m guitar chord diagram

Key of E major

F#m F#m guitar chord diagram
G#m G#m guitar chord diagram
B B guitar chord diagram
C#m C#m guitar chord diagram

More progressions like this one

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Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What are the chords of the ii-iii-V-vi progression in each key?

In C major: Dm Em G Am. In G major: Am Bm D Em. In D major: Em F#m A Bm. In A major: Bm C#m E F#m. In E major: F#m G#m B C#m.

Which songs use the ii-iii-V-vi progression?

Songs that use it include Not a Second Time by The Beatles, Computer Love by Zapp, Be With You by Beyonce.