ii–♭II–I in A♭ Major

Pattern: ii – ♭II – I Chords: Bbm – A – A♭

Chord Breakdown

Numeral	Chord	Type	Function
ii	Bbm (details)	minor	Supertonic
♭II	A (details)	major	Supertonic
I	A♭ (details)	major	Tonic

Harmonic Analysis

This progression moves through Bbm (Supertonic) → A (Supertonic) → A♭ (Tonic).

A cadence where the dominant V is replaced by its tritone substitution ♭II, creating a smooth chromatic bass descent from ii to ♭II to I. This is one of the most commonly used substitutions in jazz arranging.

Song Examples

Lady Bird — Tadd Dameron
Countdown — John Coltrane

Chord Details

Bbm A A♭

More Progressions in A♭ Major

I–IV–V–I I–V–vi–IV I–vi–IV–V ii–V–I I–IV–V I–♭VII–IV vi–IV–I–V I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V I–IV I–V IV–V IV–I