ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ii–V–I progression

Okay, kiddo! So imagine you are playing a game where you have to walk from one point to another. The path you take can be made up of different steps, right?

Well, music is kind of like that too! And the ii-v-i progression is a super common sequence of steps that musicians use to make a song sound good.

The "ii" means we start on the second note of a scale (like if we were playing in the key of C, the second note would be D). Then we move to the "V," which is the fifth note of the scale (in our example, it would be G). Finally, we end up on the "I," or the first note of the scale (C in our example).

Think of it like stepping on different stones to cross a stream: you start on the second stone, hop to the fifth one, and then land on the first one on the other side.

This progression is used in lots and lots of songs, because it gives a feeling of movement and resolution. It's kind of like taking a satisfying deep breath after holding it for a while.

So there you have it, kiddo! The ii-v-i progression is a fancy way of describing a few specific steps that musicians can use to create a great sounding song.