Minor Scales
Senior 2 · Music
Minor Scales
Lesson 4 of 4
18 min
Musicians compare keys in two different ways. Two keys can share a key signature but have different home notes, or they can share a home note but have different key signatures. Mixing up the two is a common exam mistake, so this lesson sets them side by side and shows what each does to a melody.
You met these in Lesson 3. C major and A minor use the same seven notes and the same key signature (none), but C major is centred on C and A minor on A.
Parallel keys share the same tonic. C major and C minor are parallel keys, and so are A major and A minor.
To turn a major scale into its parallel natural minor, lower the 3rd, 6th and 7th degrees by a semitone each. C major, C D E F G A B C, becomes C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C. The key signature changes from none to three flats, the key signature of C minor.
Worked example
A major to A minor. A major is A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A (three sharps). Lower the 3rd, 6th and 7th: C♯ becomes C, F♯ becomes F and G♯ becomes G. A natural minor is A B C D E F G A, with no sharps or flats.
Here is "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman", the tune you transposed in Unit 1, moved from C major into its parallel key, C minor. The key signature of three flats makes every E, A and B flat. In this tune only the 3rd and 6th degrees change, because the melody never uses the 7th. Sing or play both versions and compare the mood.
| Relative keys | Parallel keys | |
|---|---|---|
| What they share | the key signature | the tonic |
| What differs | the tonic | the key signature (degrees 3, 6 and 7 in the natural minor) |
| Example | C major and A minor | C major and C minor |
Tip
Relatives share a signature; parallels share a starting note. To find the parallel minor, keep the tonic and lower degrees 3, 6 and 7. To find the relative minor, keep the key signature and move the tonic down three semitones.
Try each question first, then check the worked solution underneath.
Name the parallel minor of G major and give its key signature.
Solution: G minor, with two flats (B♭ and E♭). It is the relative minor of B♭ major.
Name the relative minor of G major and give its key signature.
Solution: E minor, with one sharp (F♯), the same key signature as G major.
Which notes change when D major becomes D natural minor?
Solution: The 3rd, 6th and 7th degrees: F♯ becomes F, B becomes B♭ and C♯ becomes C. D major, D E F♯ G A B C♯ D, becomes D E F G A B♭ C D.
Are A major and F♯ minor relative or parallel keys?
Solution: Relative. Both have three sharps, but their tonics are different.
Are E major and E minor relative or parallel keys?
Solution: Parallel. They share the tonic E, but E major has four sharps and E minor has one.
Remember
Sources and credits
