Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Major and their Relative Minors
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:
| Key signature | Major key | Minor key |
|---|---|---|
| B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭ | C♭ major | A♭ minor |
| B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ | G♭ major | E♭ minor |
| B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ | D♭ major | B♭ minor |
| B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ | A♭ major | F minor |
| B♭, E♭, A♭ | E♭ major | C minor |
| B♭, E♭ | B♭ major | G minor |
| B♭ | F major | D minor |
| C major | A minor | |
| F♯ | G major | E minor |
| F♯, C♯ | D major | B minor |
| F♯, C♯, G♯ | A major | F♯ minor |
| F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ | E major | C♯ minor |
| F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯ | B major | G♯ minor |
| F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ | F♯ major | D♯ minor |
| F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯ | C♯ major | A♯ minor |
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.
Here are a few of the major scales and their relative minors:
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
More Help on Intervals
Intervals
An interval is the distance between two notes. Intervals are
always counted from the lower note to the higher one, with the lower
note being counted as one. Intervals come in different qualities and
size. If the notes are sounded successively, it is a melodic interval.
If sounded simultaneously, then it is a harmonic interval.
Intervals can be described as Major (M), Minor (m), Perfect (P), Augmented (A), and Diminished (d).
Intervals come in various sizes: Unisons, Seconds, Thirds, Fourths, Fifths, Sixths, and Sevenths.
2nds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths can be found as Major and Minor.
Unisons, 4ths, 5ths, and Octaves are Perfect. Listen
When a major interval is raised by a half step, it becomes augmented.
When a major interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes minor.
When a major interval is lowered by two half steps, it becomes diminished.
When a minor interval is raised by a half step, it becomes major.
When a minor interval is raised by two half steps, it becomes augmented.
When a minor interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes diminished.
When a perfect interval is raised by a half step, it becomes augmented.
When a perfect interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes diminished.
Qualities
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Size
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Interval Identification
It is important to be able to hear and identify intervals. This is a very important thing for musicians to do. Here is a list of familiar songs that will help you to identify the intervals.
| m2- Stormy Weather |
| M2- Happy Birthday |
| m3- The Impossible Dream |
| So Long, Farewell from The Sound of Music |
| M3- Halls of Montezuma |
| P4- Here comes the bride |
| A4- Maria from West Side Story |
| P5- Star Wars |
| Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star |
| M6- NBC theme music |
| m7- Somewhere from West Side Story |
| M7- Bali Hai from South Pacific |
| Octave- Over the rainbow |
