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Do you ever get the sense that professional composers, songwriters and performers have learned some harmonic secrets that they’re keeping from you? Perhaps you’ve heard a song with intriguing harmonic movement that sounds nothing like the diatonic chord progressions that you’ve been taught. Well, in today’s Quick Tip, Unlocking the Backdoor 2-5-1 Progression, John Proulx hands you the keys to “the backdoor”—a common, yet curious jazz chord progression. You’ll learn:

• Intro to The Backdoor Progression
  • What is a “backdoor 2-5-1 progression” or “backdoor dominant” in jazz?
  • Side-by-Side Comparison: Major 2-5-1 vs. Backdoor 2-5-1
• Examples of Jazz Standards with Backdoor 2-5-1 Progressions
• How Does a Backdoor Progression Work Harmonically?
• Chord Voicings for The Backdoor Progression
• Improv Practice Over The Backdoor 2-5-1 Progression
  • Practice Exercise for The Backdoor
  • 5 Sample Licks for The Backdoor

Intro to The Backdoor Progression

In tonal music, we often think of the tonic chord (the 1 chord) as “home.” The sound of tonic is described as being harmonically “at rest,” “at peace” or “stable.” Most often, we gain access to the tonic homefront by means of an entryway—a chord progression that functions a gateway from tension to resolution. Without question, the 2-5-1 chord progression functions as the official “welcome center” for tonic-bound sojourners. And yet, it seems that some jazz travelers know another way to get back to tonic that sounds like a mysterious and obscure portal. Is there really such a thing as a “backdoor 2-5-1”?

What is a “backdoor 2-5-1 progression” or “backdoor dominant” in jazz?

In jazz theory, the term “backdoor” describes a type of common harmonic movement that uses modal interchange (aka “borrowed chords”) to resolve to the tonic chord. The most quintessential backdoor progression is the backdoor 2-5-1, which uses the chords Ⅳm⁷→♭Ⅶ⁷→Ⅰ▵⁷. For example, in C major, a backdoor 2-5-1 would be Fm⁷→B♭⁷→C▵⁷. The reference to “2-5-1” in this context hinges on the relationship of the first two chords, which are in fact a Ⅱm⁷→Ⅴ⁷, albeit in the key of E♭ major. Nevertheless, both Fm⁷ and B♭⁷ are diatonic chords in C minor, which is the parallel minor to C major.

In some tunes, the ♭Ⅶ⁷ resolves to tonic without a preceding Ⅳm⁷ chord. For such occurrences, the term “backdoor 2-5-1” is less fitting. Instead, we can speak the ♭Ⅶ⁷ chord as the backdoor dominant or its behavior as a backdoor resolution. Alternatively, when the progression Ⅰ▵⁷→♭Ⅶ⁷ is repeated, as in the tune “Killer Joe,” this harmonic vamp is sometimes called a subtonic shuttle.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Major 2-5-1 vs. Backdoor 2-5-1

The existence of such a thing as the “backdoor progression” assumes that there is also “front door” so to speak—and, indeed there is. However, such nomenclature is less common in jazz terminology. Instead, jazz musicians instinctively recognize the 2-5-1 chord progression as the most frequently occurring progression in jazz repertoire.

The following examples will allow you to compare and contrast the sound of a regular 2-5-1 progression in C major key to the backdoor 2-5-1 progression.

Analyzing Backdoor 2-5-1 Progressions

To promote a better understanding, suppose you have tune in the key of C major and you come across an instance in which Fm⁷→B♭⁷ resolves to E♭▵⁷. That would be a modulation by means of a standard 2-5-1 progression. However, if Fm⁷→B♭⁷ instead resolves to C▵⁷, the C▵⁷ can sound a bit surprising or unexpected following these particular chords. Yet C▵⁷ is, of course, the tonic chord (Ⅰ▵⁷) and this resolution is fully satisfying as a backdoor 2-5-1.

Examples of Jazz Standards with Backdoor 2-5-1 Progressions

The sound of a backdoor progression is so common in jazz repertoire that experienced jazz musicians recognize it immediately by ear. In fact, there are literally dozens of jazz and pop standards that contain this harmonic movement. Here are some familiar songs that you may know:

In today’s lesson, John Proulx examines five song excerpts from this list of jazz standards that contain backdoor 2-5-1 progressions. Let’s take a closer look at these familiar tunes below. If you’re already a PWJ member, be sure to download the lesson sheet PDF and backing tracks for today’s lesson which includes these excerpts. These resources appear at the bottom of this page when you’re logged in with your PWJ membership. In addition, PWJ members can also easily transpose this lesson to any key using our Smart Sheet Music.

“Misty”

The timeless jazz ballad “Misty” by Erroll Garner is in the key of E♭ and contains a backdoor 2-5-1 progression in measures 4 and 5.

Specifically, the harmonic movement of A♭m⁷→D♭⁷→E♭▵⁷ constitutes Ⅳm⁷→♭Ⅶ⁷→Ⅰ▵⁷ in E♭ major. However, the chords A♭m⁷→D♭⁷ have a Ⅱm⁷→Ⅴ⁷ relationship in G♭ major. Therefore, this is an example of a backdoor 2-5-1 progression. Note, the easiest way to spot a backdoor 2-5-1 is to look for a dominant 7th chord that resolves up by a whole step to a major tonic chord.

“Days of Wine and Roses”

Another popular jazz standard that contains a backdoor 2-5-1 progression is “Days of Wine and Roses” by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. Here, we’re in the key of F major and we find B♭m▵⁷→E♭7→Am7 in measures 7–9.

The chords in bars 7–9 are Ⅳm⁷→♭Ⅶ7→Ⅲm⁷ in F major. Although this example does not contain a resolution to the tonic chord, the Ⅲm⁷ here is functioning as a chord substitution for the Ⅰ▵⁷ in a backdoor 2-5-1 progression.

“A Sunday Kind of Love”

The ballad “A Sunday Kind of Love” contains a situation in which a “backdoor 2-5” is used to replace the Ⅴ⁷ chord in a regular turnaround progression (Ⅰ▵⁷→Ⅵ⁷→Ⅱm⁷→Ⅴ⁷). For instance, consider the following excerpt in F major.

In measure 4, we’d generally expect to hear the Gm⁷ followed by a C⁷ chord, as in F▵⁷→D⁷→Gm⁷→C⁷. Instead, we get Bm▵⁷→E♭⁷ which resolves to F▵⁷—a backdoor 2-5-1. This illustrates the fact that composers and arrangers often use the backdoor progression to replace the primary Ⅴ⁷ chord.

“Yardbird Suite”

Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite” is a classic example of a bebop standard with several backdoor progressions that are hard to miss. In fact, the backdoor progression occurs in the second bar of each A section. Consider the following excerpt in C major.

“Groovin’ High”

Finally, Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High” is another bebop standard that uses the backdoor. The following excerpt is in the key of E♭ major and comes from the final phrase of the tune.

In the next section, you’ll discover how a backdoor 2-5-1 works.

How Does a Backdoor Progression Work Harmonically?

At this point, some readers are likely wondering how the backdoor progression works, harmonically speaking. After all, how can we get away with using a Ⅱm⁷→Ⅴ⁷ from a completely different key to resolve to tonic? If you’re harmonically curious, then this section is for you. Otherwise, you can skip to the next section where you’ll find chord voicings for the backdoor 2-5-1 progression for all playing levels.

The harmonic magic of the backdoor 2-5-1 is that these chords are not from a completely foreign key after all. Instead, the backdoor uses a harmonic technique that we call modal interchange (aka modal mixture or borrowed chords). This means that we are blending chords from parallel modes. Simply put, if our tune is in C major, we are borrowing chords from C minor, which has the same home note, or tonic…the note C. In fact, C major and C natural minor (Aeolian mode) share four notes in common: C, D, F, G. The notes that are different are scale degrees 3, 6 and 7. Therefore, our borrowed chords will introduce the following accidentals: E♭, A♭ and B♭.

Exploring Modal Mixture

The simplest way to understand a backdoor 2-5-1 progression is to recognize that it results from a plagal cadence (Ⅳ→Ⅰ) with the addition of modal mixture. While that might sound rather fancy and complicated, you’ll actually understand it quite clearly after walking through the following examples.

In music theory, we use the term plagal cadence to describe harmonic movement from Ⅳ→Ⅰ. This movement is also commonly described as an Amen cadence because is frequently sung at the conclusion of hymns over the words “Amen.”

Plagal Cadence (Ⅳ→Ⅰ)

Here is an example of a simple melody over a plagal cadence in C major.

Now, let’s make a few small tweaks and listen to how the sound changes.

Plagal Cadence with Modal Mixture (ⅳ→Ⅰ)

This example features the same melody, except now the Ⅳ chord is minor instead. Since we’re keeping the major tonic chord at the beginning and the end, we’re not in C minor. We’re simply borrowing the Ⅳm⁶ chord from C minor into C major. The result is a darker, more somber cadence.

Subtonic Shuttle (♭Ⅶ⁷→Ⅰ)

In the following progression, we now have B♭⁷ instead of Fm⁦⁦⁶. Notice, with the note C in the melody, the complete chord is actually B♭⁹. However, B♭⁹ is the same as Fm⁶/B♭. In other words, this still has the essential harmonic DNA of a plagal cadence. Nevertheless, the minor 4-chord now contains another borrowed note from C natural minor for an even darker sound.

Even though B♭7 is the Ⅴ⁷ of E♭, notice how all of the notes of B♭⁷ are able to resolve to C major with smooth, stepwise motion. This is another reason why our ears accept this resolution as satisfying. (Note, in some situations, you may need to resolve some of the notes of B♭⁷→C with a skip of a 3rd interval.)

Nostalgic Cadence (Ⅳ→ⅳ→Ⅰ)

Often times in pop music and folk music, we find a progression that goes Ⅳ→ⅳ→Ⅰ. Such use of both the major 4-chord and the minor 4-chord is another example of modal mixture. This interesting progression evokes a nostalgic or bitter-sweet feeling.

Sometimes we find movement of Ⅳ→ⅳ→Ⅰ in jazz repertoire like the example above. However, when jazz musicians play pop or folk songs with this progression, they often reharmonize it with a backdoor 2-5-1 instead.

Backdoor 2-5-1 Progression (ⅳ⁷→♭Ⅶ⁷→Ⅰ)

If we combine the Ⅳm⁷ chord with the ♭Ⅶ⁷ chord, we have a backdoor 2-5-1 progression. Nevertheless, both Fm⁷ and B♭⁷ are closely-related to C major since they are borrowed from the parallel minor.

Now you understand how composers, songwriters and performers frequently use modal mixture to expand their harmonic options!

Chord Voicings for The Backdoor Progression

So far, we’ve listened to excerpts of familiar jazz standards with backdoor progressions and examined why this intriguing chord sequence is satisfying to our ears. In this section, you’ll learn how to play the backdoor 2-5-1 progression with professional jazz piano chord voicings for all playing levels. Even though we’ve grouped them into beginner, intermediate and advanced categories, professional pianists frequently employ voicings from all three categories when performing jazz tunes.

Beginner Voicings

If you’re a beginner jazz piano student, then the guide tones approach is a great way to train your ears to hear and recognize the sound of the backdoor 2-5-1 progression. In jazz theory, guide tones are the 3rd and 7th of each chord. We can use these two notes as a chord shell—a minimalistic chord voicing that provides sufficient harmonic clarity.

In the following example, the right hand plays the guide tones of each chord while the left hand plays the roots. Notice that we frequently invert the guide tones in the right hand to allow for smooth voice leading as we transition from one chord to the next.

Guide Tones

For a more comprehensive inquiry into the various chord shells techniques that jazz pianists use, check out the following PWJ learning track:

🔎 Mid-Intermediate Piano Foundations Learning Track (Level 5)

Intermediate Voicings

If you want a more colorful jazz piano sound, you can play rootless voicings. These beautiful chord voicings include extra color notes called chord extensions. However, as their name implies, the roots are not included in these voicings. This makes them particularly well-suited for playing in an ensemble with a bass player. Jazz pianists use rootless voicings in closed position to play rich four-note voicings in one hand.

Rootless Voicings – Closed Position

Another approach to rootless voicings is to play them in open position, which requires two hands. These voicings are especially useful for comping behind a soloist.

Rootless Voicings – Open Position

Learning to memorize and master these rootless voicing structures takes commitment and patience. However, once you learn them, their yours for life! The following PWJ learning track will guide you step-by-step on the journey to learning all of your rootless voicings:

🔎 Late Intermediate Piano Foundations Learning Track (Level 6)

Advanced Voicings

Another hip way to play the backdoor 2-5-1 progression is with contemporary five-note quartal voicings.

Quartal Voicings

As you can hear, these quartal voicings are wonderful to have in your arsenal as a jazz pianist. If you’re ready to learn these voicings, then you can find them in the following PWJ learning track:

🔎 Late Advanced Piano Foundations Learning Track (Level 9)

In the next section, we’ll learn how to approach soloing over a backdoor 2-5-1.

Improv Practice Over Backdoor 2-5-1 Progression

Understanding that a backdoor 2-5-1 progression is rooted in modal mixture makes improvising over the progression much simpler. For instance, we don’t have to think about soloing over Fm⁷→B♭⁷→C▵⁷ with three different improv scales.

Practice Exercise for the Backdoor

Chances are, you probably already know your C major scale and C natural minor scales, but have you ever practiced them together? For example, try ascending up the C major scale and then descending down the C natural minor scale. That’s probably not too much of a stretch if you’ve previously learned these scales. In fact, this represents the simplest way to improvise over a backdoor 2-5-1. For instance, check out the following exercise.

Notice that this modal mixture scale exercise uses C▵ and C⁶ to harmonize the C major scale while using the backdoor progression to harmonize the C natural minor scale. Since Fm⁷→B♭⁷ are borrowed chords from the C natural minor scale, we don’t even need to think about F Dorian or B♭ Mixolydian over these chords. Of course, you certainly can think that way if it helps you. However, here’s a spoiler alert—C Aeolian, F Dorian and B♭ Mixolydian share all the same notes!

5 Sample Licks for the Backdoor

In this section of today’s lesson, we’ll play 5 great sounding solo licks over the backdoor progression. The licks are included in the download lesson sheet PDF for this lesson.

Lick #1

Our first example is a simple and effective lick that uses a melodic cell with just three notes: B♭, A♭ and G. In this lick, the note G is a target note over C▵⁷.

Lick #2

Our second lick also targets the note G over C▵⁷. However, Lick #2 uses the five notes of an F minor 5-finger hand position (F–G–A♭–B♭–C).

Lick #3

Our third backdoor lick targets the note E over C▵⁷. This lick uses a simple three-note melodic cell containing the notes G, F, and E.

If you’d like to learn more about improvising with target notes, then check out our course on 2-5-1 Soloing with Chord Tone Targets (Int).

Lick #4

At first glance, Lick #4 looks more random than our previous licks. For example, these notes span a wider range and don’t seem to have an obvious structure. However, all jazz pros will recognize this melodic contour as the “Cry Me a River” lick because it draws on the notes from the opening phrase of the jazz standard “Cry Me a River” by Arthur Hamilton.

You might be wondering what’s the easiest way to remember this lick? With the triplet ornament excluded, the contour of this lick descends through the following scale tones of F Dorian: 9→1→5→♭3→9→1. Therefore, you can think of it as an Fm(add9) chord outline.

If you’ve been following PWJ’s content for some time, then you’ve heard John Proulx speak of the “Cry Me a River” lick before. However, he most often uses this name for a lick he plays with the altered scale over altered dominant chords. For instance, on altered dominant chords, the lick descends down the following scale tones: ♯9→♭9→♭13→3→♯9→♭9. What you might not realize is that jazz musicians use the contour of the “Cry Me a River” lick over five different chord qualities.¹ For instance, you can play this Fm(add9) outline over Fm7, B♭7, Dø7, E7alt and A♭▵(♯5).

Lick #5

Lick #5 follows is an impressive and colorful phrase that uses an ascending A♭▵9 chord outline over the backdoor 2-5-1 and targets the note G on C▵⁷.

If you’d like to learn more about improvising with chord outlines, then check out our course on 2-5-1 Soloing with Outlining Chords (Int).

Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve completed today’s lesson on Unlocking the Backdoor 2-5-1 Progression. Without a doubt, you have gained valuable insight, experience and aural recognition skills that will help you navigate this thought-provoking little progression.

If you enjoyed today’s lesson, be sure to check out the following PWJ resources:

Thanks for learning with us today! We’ll see you next time.

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¹ Coker, Jerry. Elements of the Jazz Language for the Developing Improviser. Alfred Music, 1997, pp. 74–76.

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