Minor Scales

Sharing a key signature means the two relative keys use all of the same notes.

Having a different tonic means they resolve to different notes AND that their scales start on different notes.

If you start with a major key, find scale degree 6 to learn what the relative minor is.

C major is relative to A minor. This means they share the same key signature but have different tonics.

If you start with a minor key, find scale degree b3 to learn what the relative major is. To find b3, use a whole step and a half step (3 half steps up).

A minor is relative to C major. This means they share the same key signature but have different first note.

By finding the relative minor of a major key, you can figure out what notes are needed for a natural minor scale.

If G major and E minor are relative keys, they share the same key signature, with only 1 sharp. The natural minor scale simply follows the key signature with only an F# in the key signature.

Look at the picture on the right. A major has three sharps (F#, C#, and G#). Scale degree 6 in A major is F#. That means F# is the relative minor. It shares the same key signature as A major (F#, C#, and G#). To make it a harmonic minor, the b7 (E) needs to be raised to 7 (E#).

Another way to look at this is to write in the key signatures instead of all of the accidentals. In this case, you can see clearly that A major and F# natural minor share all of the same notes but different first notes. To change F# natural minor to F# harmonic minor, you add the accidental on scale degree 7 to the scale, not the key signature.

Look at the picture on the right. If we draw an ascending and descending C major scale, it does not change in either direction.

If we draw an ascending and descending A natural minor scale, it does not change in either direction.

But if we draw an ascending A melodic minor, it is different ascending than it is descending. On the way up, we used 6 and 7 (F# and G#), but on the way down we used b7 and b6 (G and F).