Minor Keys: Using Relatives

Minor Keys

Using Relatives

What are relative keys?

Relative keys are one major and one minor key that are related to each other.

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They share the same key signature but have different tonics.

Okay, but what does that mean?

Sharing a key signature means the two relative keys use all of the same notes.

Having a different tonic means they resolve to different notes AND that their scales start on different notes.

Relative Keys:

Major to Minor

If you start with a major key, find scale degree 6 to learn what the relative minor is. Make sure you check the key signature!

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C major is relative to A minor. This means they share the same key signature but have different tonics.

Relative Keys:

Minor to Major

If you start with a minor key, find scale degree b3 to learn what the relative major is. To find b3, use a whole step and a half step.

A minor is relative to C major. This means they share the same key signature but have different tonics.

Relative Keys and Minor Scales

By finding the relative minor of a major key, you can figure out what notes are needed for a natural minor scale.

If G major and E minor are relative keys, they share the same key signature. The natural minor scale simply follows the key signature.

Multiple Choice

True or false. The natural minor scale uses the same notes as the relative major scale, starting on a different tonic.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

F major and D minor are relative keys. If the F major scale is F G A Bb C D E F, what is the D natural minor scale?

• D E F G A B C D

• D E F# G A B C# D

• D E F G Ab Bb C D

• D E F G A Bb C D

Finding the Harmonic Minor

If you want to find the harmonic minor using the relative method, use the relative major's key signature to write your natural minor scale.

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Then, raise scale degree b7 to 7. This means move it up a half step. That one small change moves it from a natural minor scale to a harmonic minor scale.

Harmonic Minor

Look at the picture on the right. A major has three sharps (F#, C#, and G#). Scale degree 6 in A major is F#. That means F# is the relative minor. It shares the same key signature as A major (F#, C#, and G#). To make it a harmonic minor, the b7 (E) needs to be raised to 7 (E#).

More Harmonic Minor

Another way to look at this is to write in the key signatures instead of all of the accidentals. In this case, you can see clearly that A major and F# natural minor share all of the same notes but different tonics. To change F# natural minor to F# harmonic minor, you add the accidental on scale degree 7 to the scale, not the key signature.

Multiple Choice

If a C natural minor scale is C D Eb F G Ab Bb C, what is a C harmonic minor scale?

• C D E F G A B C

• Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

• C D Eb F G Ab B C

• C D Eb F G A B C

Multiple Choice

What are the notes in an A harmonic minor scale?

• A B C D E F G A

• A B C D E F G# A

• A B C D E F# G# A

• A B C# D E F# G# A

Relative Keys and Melodic Minor

We can also use our relative keys to figure out the melodic minor. Create your natural minor using the relative major's key signature. Then, raise scale degrees b6 and b7 to 6 and 7 on the ascending scale.

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After that, you need to change 6 and 7 back to b6 and b7 on the descending scale. This means you probably need to add accidentals to differentiate between the ascending 6 and 7 vs. the descending b6 and b7.

Melodic Minor

Look at the picture on the right. If we draw an ascending and descending C major scale, it does not change in either direction.

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If we draw an ascending and descending A natural minor scale, it does not change in either direction.

Melodic Minor

But if we draw an ascending A melodic minor, it is different ascending than it is descending. On the way up, we used 6 and 7 (F# and G#), but on the way down we used b7 and b6 (G and F).

Multiple Choice

B melodic minor is...

• B C# D E F# G A B A G F# E D C# B

• B C# D E F# G# A# B A G F# E D C# B

Open Ended

What questions do you have about relative keys and how to create minor scales using them?