Other Common Progressions
After the II V I progression, the next most common major key progression is I VI II V, or VI II V I. Like the II V I progression, run through the arpeggios of these chords over a backing track of the chords (or better still, practice with another musician and take it in turns to solo or play chords) and then improvise using the arpeggios. Here is an example played over a I VI II V progression. Learn it from memory and then transpose it to all the other keys.
Here is a progression which covers all the chords in a major key: I IV VII III VI II V. As with previous examples, memorize both the progression and the individual notes and learn it in all keys.
In many Jazz songs, a II V progression does not lead to chord I, but to another II V in a different Key. Here is an example.
Here is a whole solo making use of short II V progressions moving through several different keys. Notice that the eighth notes are played straight rather than swung here. Once you can play the solo, analyze the notes against the chord symbols and then transpose it to all the other keys as well as improvising over the progression.
