ii–♭II–I in C Major

Pattern: ii – ♭II – I Chords: Dm – D♭ – C

Chord Breakdown

Numeral	Chord	Type	Function
ii	Dm (details)	minor	Supertonic
♭II	D♭ (details)	major	Supertonic
I	C (details)	major	Tonic

Harmonic Analysis

This progression moves through Dm (Supertonic) → D♭ (Supertonic) → C (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

Dm D♭ C

More Progressions in C 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