My Chord Finder
FOUR BARS · TWO HANDS · ONE CONTROLLED COMPARISON
Jazz Chord Progressions for Piano
Start with a ii–V–I–vi in C. Play the notes below, then hear what changes when the right hand keeps nearby chord tones close.
Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7 → Am7
One bar per chord in 4/4. Left hand: one bass root on beat 1. Right hand: the four notes on beat 2.
| Bar | Chord | Left | Right hand, low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · ii | Dm7 | D3 | D4 · F4 · A4 · C5 |
| 2 · V | G7 | G2 | D4 · F4 · G4 · B4 |
| 3 · I | Cmaj7 | C3 | C4 · E4 · G4 · B4 |
| 4 · vi | Am7 | A2 | C4 · E4 · G4 · A4 |
Choose a route to hear the four bars. Sound is generated in your browser.
THE TOOL'S MEASURED RESULT
The order stays. The hand travels less.
The four root-position voicings move the aligned right-hand voices 62 semitones in total. The close route moves them 8. The difference is 54 semitones for these exact note choices, not a universal score for ii–V–I–vi.
| Change | Root positions | Close voicings | Keys kept in close route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dm7 → G7 | 27 | 3 | D4, F4 |
| G7 → Cmaj7 | 21 | 3 | G4, B4 |
| Cmaj7 → Am7 | 14 | 2 | C4, E4, G4 |
| Whole route | 62 | 8 | 54 fewer semitones |
At Dm7-to-G7, the root-position hand shifts its four voices by 7, 6, 7 and 7 semitones. The close route leaves D4 and F4 in place, moves A4 down to G4 by 2, and C5 down to B4 by 1. That makes the first boundary 27 against 3.
At G7-to-Cmaj7, the root positions move by 5, 5, 5 and 6 semitones. The close route moves D4 to C4 by 2 and F4 to E4 by 1 while G4 and B4 stay put. Its boundary total is again 3, against 21 for the root route.
At Cmaj7-to-Am7, the root-position voices move by 3, 4, 3 and 4 semitones. In the close route, C4, E4 and G4 remain on the same keys; only B4 moves to A4 by 2. That final boundary adds 14 to one route and 2 to the other.
The calculator pairs the low, second, third and high right-hand voices between neighboring chords, then adds the absolute pitch change of each pair. A different pairing or octave choice would produce different totals. This measures key travel for the specified voicings; it does not measure finger comfort, swing feel or which sound you prefer.
See every note used by the comparison
Change the bass pattern, keep the harmony
Hold the close right-hand shapes above and move only the left hand. In the first pass, play D3, G2, C3 and A2 on beat 1 and hold each root for its bar. In the second, keep those beat-1 roots and add A3, D3, G3 and E3 on beat 3, one fifth above each root.
Across four bars, the held-root pass makes four left-hand attacks. The root-and-fifth pass makes eight, while the right hand still enters four times on beat 2. Both passes use the same Dm7–G7–Cmaj7–Am7 order; the added beat-3 notes change the pulse without changing the named harmony.
Listen to the G7-to-Cmaj7 bar line in particular. The left hand changes from G2 to C3, while the close right hand changes only D4 to C4 and F4 to E4. The bass establishes the new root; G4 and B4 stay on the same keys while the other two right-hand voices move a combined three semitones.
Why this is a useful jazz piano starting point
Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 is a major-key ii–V–I: a minor seventh chord leads to a dominant seventh chord and resolves to a major seventh chord. Am7 adds a vi chord so the four-bar exercise can turn around and begin again. The sequence is a practice example, not a transcription of a recording.
Start with one note in the left hand and a four-note seventh chord in the right. Keep the written beat placement while you learn the notes. Once the changes are reliable, experiment with your own rhythm; a chord sequence alone does not specify swing, accents or a complete jazz arrangement.
A minor-key route to try next
For a minor ii–V–i, try Bm7♭5 → E7 → Am7. Those three chord qualities set up a different destination from the C-major example above. Use the Piano Chord Finder to inspect each chord's notes before choosing a comfortable register. To compare simpler triad progressions, return to Piano Chord Progressions; the two exercises answer different playing questions.