Relative key

In music, the relative minor of a particular major key (or the relative major of a minor key) is the key which has the same key signature but a different tonic, as opposed to parallel minor (or major, where appropriate) which shares the same tonic. For example, G major and E minor both have a single sharp in their key signature at F♯; therefore, E minor is the relative minor of G major. The relative minor of a major key always has a tonic a minor third lower.

A complete list of relative minor/major pairs in order of the circle of fifths is:

Together with moves to the dominant (fifth scale degree) or subdominant (fourth scale degree), modulations to the relative minor or major are the most common in tonal music.

Finding the relative major or minor

To find the relative minor of a particular key go down a minor third (three semitones) from the tonic of the major key.

• Example: If your major key is C major, going down a minor third from the note C will land you on the note A. So, A minor is the relative minor of C major. Or instead of going down a minor third you can go up a sixth, or say it is the sixth note in the Major scale

To find the relative major of a particular key go up a minor third from the tonic of the minor key.

• Example: If your minor key is E minor, going up a minor third from the note E will land you on the note G. So, G major is the relative major of E minor.

References