Relative minor and relative major keys
Every major key has a relative minor that shares its key signature. The relative minor starts on the sixth note of the major scale, three half steps (a minor third) below the major tonic. C major and A minor are relatives, and so are G major and E minor.
A relative minor is the minor key that uses the same notes as a given major key. They have the same key signature but a different home note. A minor is the relative minor of C major, and C major is the relative major of A minor. If you know one, you know the other.
How to find the relative minor
Start on the major tonic and count down three half steps, which is a minor third. From C, three half steps down is A. Another way is to start on the sixth note of the major scale: in C major, the sixth note is A. Either method gives the same answer.
- Write the major scale of the key.
- Find the sixth note.
- That note is the tonic of the relative minor.
| Major key | Relative minor | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| C | A minor | No sharps or flats |
| G | E minor | 1 sharp |
| D | B minor | 2 sharps |
| A | F♯ minor | 3 sharps |
| E | C♯ minor | 4 sharps |
| F | D minor | 1 flat |
| B♭ | G minor | 2 flats |
| E♭ | C minor | 3 flats |
| A♭ | F minor | 4 flats |
How to find the relative major
Go the other way: from a minor tonic, count up three half steps (a minor third). From A, that is C. From E, three half steps up is G. From D, it is F. The third note of a natural minor scale is the tonic of the relative major.
Same notes, different home
Relative keys use the same seven notes, but they feel different, because the music rests on a different note. In C major, the music sounds settled on C. In A minor, it settles on A, and the same notes sound darker. Chords help set the home note: a piece that begins and ends on an A minor chord is in A minor, even if it has no sharps or flats.
Because the two keys share a signature, a composer can move between them without any change to the notes. Many pieces switch from major to the relative minor in the middle and back again.
Relative or parallel?
People often confuse relative keys and parallel keys. Relative keys share a key signature but start on different notes: C major and A minor. Parallel keys share the same tonic but have different signatures: C major (no accidentals) and C minor (three flats). Moving to the parallel key changes the mood while keeping the home note.
| Pair | Same | Different |
|---|---|---|
| Relative (C major and A minor) | Key signature | Tonic |
| Parallel (C major and C minor) | Tonic | Key signature |
Why it matters
- It cuts your learning in half: one signature serves two keys.
- It explains why a minor piece can have the same key signature as a happy major piece.
- It helps in choosing chords: the chords of the relative key mix freely with the home chords.
- It helps in improvising: the same notes work in both keys.
- It lets you find the key of a piece quickly, with the help of the key signature.
Finding a piece's key
When you see a key signature with no accidentals, ask: is the piece major or minor? Look at the last note and last chord. If they are C, the piece is in C major. If they are A, it is probably in A minor. Look for a raised seventh too: a G♯ in a piece with no signature is a strong sign of A minor, since the raised seventh of minor is not shown in the signature.
Memory trick: To go from major to relative minor, go down a minor third, like coming down a three-step staircase: C, B, B♭, A.
A note on notation
In sheet music, the relative minor and the relative major look the same at the start of the piece, since they share a key signature. The way to tell them apart is the music itself: the chords, the last note, and the accidentals. If the key signature has one sharp and the piece ends on E, it is in E minor. If it ends on G, it is in G major.
The circle of fifths puts each major key and its relative minor side by side, and the minor scales page explains the three forms of the minor scale. For a worked example of a full key, see A minor.
Relative major and minor keys
| Major key | Relative minor | Shared key signature |
|---|---|---|
| C major | A minor | no sharps or flats |
| G major | E minor | one sharp: F♯ |
| D major | B minor | two sharps: F♯ and C♯ |
| A major | F♯ minor | three sharps: F♯, C♯ and G♯ |
| E major | C♯ minor | four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯ |
| B major | G♯ minor | five sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ and A♯ |
| F♯ major | D♯ minor | six sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯ and E♯ |
| C♯ major | A♯ minor | seven sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ and B♯ |
| F major | D minor | one flat: B♭ |
| B♭ major | G minor | two flats: B♭ and E♭ |
| E♭ major | C minor | three flats: B♭, E♭ and A♭ |
| A♭ major | F minor | four flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭ |
| D♭ major | B♭ minor | five flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭ |
| G♭ major | E♭ minor | six flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭ |
| C♭ major | A♭ minor | seven flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ and F♭ |
Check yourself
1. What is the relative minor of C major?
Answer: A minor. A is three half steps below C.
2. Which key shares a key signature with G major?
Answer: E minor. E minor is the relative minor of G major.
3. How far below the major tonic is the relative minor?
Answer: A minor third. That is three half steps.
4. Which pair shows parallel keys?
Answer: C major and C minor. Parallel keys share a tonic, not a key signature.