Major keys tend to sound happier and minor keys tend to sound dark or sad. Major keys have different patterns than minor keys if you start on the first note of the scale and play up the scale.
I like to use C major because on a piano, you can start on a C and play up the scale without using any black keys...meaning it has no sharps or flats in the key signature.
If you play from C to C on the major scale then you will see that each step is either a half step or a whole step. No matter what note you start on, it will have that same pattern if it is a major key.
Now go down two white keys on the piano to the A. If you start there and play up the scale to the next A without playing any black keys on the piano, you will be playing a A natural minor scale. Your notice that it is very similar to the C major scale. It has the same key signature but starts and ends on a different note. As you play up the scale, notice that each step will be either a half step or a whole step. Every natural minor scale has the same combination of half and whole steps no matter what note you start on. Also, A minor is the relative minor of C major because they have the same key signature.
Try to think about a piano keyboard when thinking about music theory ideas. The great Trumpet playing stated in his autobiography that everyone should learn the piano no matter what their primary instrument is.
Parallel major and minor keys have the same tonic pitch. Therefore, E minor is the parallel minor of E Major.
The minor keys usually have a darker sound and feel to them - as opposed to the major keys which sound generally brighter. The minor keys are based on the sixth degree of a given major scale (lets take D major as an example, if we go up six steps in this scale we get the notes D, E, F♯, G, A, and B). So B minor will have the same key signature as D major (with two sharps). In a major scale there are four semitones between the first and third degrees of the scale but in minor keys there are only three semitones. So in the D major scale the third scale degree (mediant) is F♯ but the same degree in D minor if F♮ (natural). As with the major keys, minor keys can also contain up to seven sharps or flats in their key signature too.
A minor consists of the same chords as C major, the chords are: A minor B diminished C major D minor E minor F major G major and A minor These chords are completely made up of white keys.
C major (no sharps or flats)Sharp Keys:G Major/E minor (1 sharp)D Major/B minor (2 sharps)A Major/F-sharp minor (3 sharps)E Major/C-sharp minor (4 sharps)B Major/G-sharp minor (5 sharps)F-sharp Major/D-sharp minor (6 sharps)C-sharp Major/A-sharp minor (7 sharps)Flat Keys:F Major/D minor (1 flat)B-flat Major/G minor (2 flats)E-flat Major/C minor (3 flats)A-flat Major/F minor (4 flats)D-flat Major/B-flat minor (5 flats)G-flat Major/E-flat minor (6 flats)C-flat Major/A-flat minor (7 flats)These are all the possible keys you can write in, enharmonic keys are italicised.
The Circle of Keys is a diagram of all Major and minor keys signatures. The sharp keys are arranged from the top, moving clockwise. The flat keys are arranged from the top, moving counterclockwise. There are fifteen Major keys: seven sharp keys, seven flat keys, and one key with no sharps or flats. Likewise, there are fifteen relative minor keys. The keys at the bottom of the circle are called enharmonic keys because their tones sound the same but are named and written differently. The Circle of Keys is sometimes called the Circle of Fifths because the keys are arranged an interval of a fifth apart.
Count up a sixth from the major (C) to find the minor (A).
White keys are for the major scale, black keys for the minor.
Piano Chords Major Keys Relative Minor Keys Signature C major A minor G major E minor D major B minor A major F# minor E major C# minor B major G# minor F# major D# minor C# major A# minor F major D minor Bb major G minor Eb major C minor Ab major F minor Db major Bb minor Gb major Eb minor Cb major Ab minor
There are a total of fifteen keys in Western music. Keys come with two forms, sharp keys and flat keys and one comes with all naturals. The complete list of major keys are shown below: C major (or A minor) - no sharps/flats G major (E minor) - 1 sharp D major (B minor) - 2 sharps A major (F-sharp minor) - 3 sharps E major (C-sharp minor) - 4 sharps B major (G-sharp minor) - 5 sharps F-sharp major (D-sharp minor) - 6 sharps C-sharp major (A-sharp minor) - 7 sharps F major (D minor) - 1 flat B-flat major (G minor) - 2 flats E-flat major (C minor) - 3 flats A-flat major (F minor) - 4 flats D-flat major (B-flat minor) - 5 flats G-flat major (E-flat minor) - 6 flats C-flat major (A-flat minor) -7 flats There you go, those are all the different keys you can write in!
Parallel major and minor keys have the same tonic pitch. Therefore, E minor is the parallel minor of E Major.
G major or e minor
Major keys tend to be associated with cheerful or upbeat feelings.
The keys of Eb Major and c minor have three flats in their key signatures: Bb, Eb, and Ab.
The minor keys usually have a darker sound and feel to them - as opposed to the major keys which sound generally brighter. The minor keys are based on the sixth degree of a given major scale (lets take D major as an example, if we go up six steps in this scale we get the notes D, E, F♯, G, A, and B). So B minor will have the same key signature as D major (with two sharps). In a major scale there are four semitones between the first and third degrees of the scale but in minor keys there are only three semitones. So in the D major scale the third scale degree (mediant) is F♯ but the same degree in D minor if F♮ (natural). As with the major keys, minor keys can also contain up to seven sharps or flats in their key signature too.
The augmented triad does not appear in any major or natural minor scales.
A minor consists of the same chords as C major, the chords are: A minor B diminished C major D minor E minor F major G major and A minor These chords are completely made up of white keys.
C MINOR is the relative minor to Eb major, meaning both keys have the same key signature.