The chords

Learn these first. The dots are where your fingers go, numbered 1 (index) to 4 (little finger); an open circle means play that string open, and × means don’t play it.

Dm7
××211EADGBE D minor seventh · D F A C xx0211
G7
321EADGBE G seventh · G B D F 320001
Cmaj7
×32EADGBE C major seventh · C E G B x32000
A7
×23EADGBE A seventh · A C♯ E G x02020
Em7
2EADGBE E minor seventh · E G B D 020000

The music

0:00 / 0:00

Play counts you in with one bar of clicks. Chords only leaves the tune to you; Tune only leaves the strumming to you. Click any note to start from there.

Swipe the music sideways to see the whole line.

About this tune

A tune we wrote to teach the ii–V–I (“two-five-one”): Dm7 to G7 to Cmaj7, the chord change jazz standards are built from. The melody leans on “guide tones”: listen to the F over G7 (its seventh) resolve, through D, to the E over Cmaj7 (its third) in bars 2 and 3, and the C over Dm7 settle on B over G7 in bars 9 and 10. A7 and Em7 join in the second half to make longer chains of the same move.

How to practise it

  1. Learn Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7 and play them in a loop, four beats each: Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, Cmaj7. Listen to the top string: F stays put from Dm7 to G7, then drops to E for Cmaj7.
  2. Add A7 and Em7, then strum the whole tune with Chords only.
  3. Learn the melody four bars at a time. Bars 1 to 4 and 5 to 8 are nearly the same, and so are bars 9 and 13.
  4. Improvise over Chords only using just the notes of each chord (the notes in its box). Hitting chord tones on beat 1 is what makes a solo sound like it knows the changes.

About the tune

We wrote this tune for these pages, so it’s free to play, record and share.

The ii–V–I takes its name from Roman numerals: in the key of C, D minor is built on the second note of the scale, G on the fifth and C on the first. Countless jazz standards are chains of these moves, so jazz players practise them in every key.

Where the tune comes from

We wrote Sunday Two-Five for this course, so you won’t find it anywhere else. It’s free to play, teach, record and share.

Quick facts

Tune
Digital Greenhouse, 2026
Key
C major
Time signature
4/4
Length
16 bars
Tempo
Swing, crotchet = 120
Chords
Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, A7, Em7
What it teaches
The ii–V–I, the chord change at the heart of jazz
Place in the course
Tune 8 of 10 (Jazz harmony)

Questions and answers

Which chords are in Sunday Two-Five?
Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, A7, Em7. The chord boxes above show where to put your fingers, and each has a Hear it button.
Is Sunday Two-Five free to use?
Sunday Two-Five is an original tune written by Digital Greenhouse for these pages. You’re welcome to play it, teach it, record it and share it.
How do I read the TAB under the music?
The six lines are the guitar’s strings, the high E string on top. A number is the fret to press (0 means play the string open). The music above it shows the rhythm, and is written an octave higher than the guitar sounds, as all guitar music is.
How fast should I play it?
Slowly at first. Press Slower to hear it at 70% of the speed, and only speed up when it feels easy. The full tempo is Swing, a crotchet (quarter note) = 120.

← All ten tunes: jazz guitar for beginners  ·  Jazz guitar theory

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