Chord sequence

C#m7, F#7, Bm7, E7, Am7, D7, Emaj7

C♯m7 F♯7 Bm7 E7 Am7 D7 Emaj7

Tempo 120 BPM

Rootless Shells Guide tones Rooted shells Rooted Drop 2

Four-note rootless voicings in their two forms, with the 3rd or the 7th on the bottom, played over the root.

Customize each chord

C#m7
F#7
Bm7
E7
Am7
D7
Emaj7

Analysis

Heard in E major

Each chord's roman numeral and role in E major
Chord	Numeral	Role
C♯m7	vi7	Diatonic
F♯7	V7/v	Secondary dominant of v
Bm7	ii7/iv	ii of the ii-V to iv
E7	V7/iv	Secondary dominant of iv
Am7	iv7	Borrowed from E minor
D7	♭VII7	Borrowed from E minor
Emaj7	Imaj7	Tonic

Progressions in these changes

All the chords

Whole-Step ii-V Chain in E

Three ii-Vs, each a whole step below the last and the last one the backdoor ii-V: a chain of keys that doesn't arrive until the end.

Scales to play