Piano Music Theory

Relative Minor Scales

Each major key has a relative minor key. The sixth note of each major scale is the root note of the relative minor scale.

For example, the notes of C major scale are:
C D E F G A B C

The sixth note of C major scale is A. A is the root note of A minor scale. A minor is the relative minor of the C major, and C major is the relative major of the A minor scale. The A minor scale (A B C D E F G A ) uses the same notes as the C major scale. The C major scale and A minor scale have the same relative keys, and they both have the same key signature.

The Circle of Fifths Chart

Here is a complete list of all major | minor keys in the order of the circle of fifths:

C major | A minor
G major | E minor
D major | B minor
A major |  F Sharp minor
E major | C Sharp minor
B major ( C Flat major ) | G Sharp minor ( A Flat minor )
F Sharp major ( G Flat major ) | D Sharp minor ( E Flat minor )
C Sharp major ( D Flat major ) | A Sharp minor ( B Flat minor )
A Flat major | F minor
E Flat major | C minor
B Flat major | G minor
F major | D minor

The circle of fifths is a powerful and effective tool for musicians to learn the relationships between different musical keys . Click here if you want to know more.