Relative & parallel keys

Relative — same notes, different home

The relative minor of a major scale uses exactly the same seven notes, just centred on a different note.

The relative minor of any major key is the 6th degree of that major.

• C major → A minor (A is the 6th degree of C)
• G major → E minor
• D major → B minor
• E major → C♯ minor
• F major → D minor
• B♭ major → G minor

Numerically: relative minor root = major root + 9 semitones (or − 3 semitones).

Why it matters

Songs constantly toggle between a major key and its relative minor — and the toggle is seamless because no notes change. You can hear this in:

• “Here Comes the Sun” (Beatles) — verses lean toward A major; the middle section lifts into the relative minor.
• “Hotel California” — uses the relative minor’s chord (vi) as a melancholic anchor.
• Most “sad pop” choruses — the chorus is in the relative minor of the verse’s major key.

Parallel — same root, different scale

The parallel minor has the same root as the major but lowers the 3rd, 6th, and 7th.

• C major (C D E F G A B) → C minor (C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭)

A swap to the parallel minor is a much more dramatic harmonic move — three notes change at once. It’s used for sudden mood shifts (“borrowing” chords from the parallel minor is a major songwriting device — see Chapter 9).

Try this

Play this two-bar phrase in C major: C — F — G — C. Sounds like a sun-bright cadence.

Now play the same chord functions (I-IV-V-I) in A natural minor — the relative minor of C: Am — Dm — Em — Am. The mood is heavy, even though six of the seven notes are identical.

The chords differ because the role each note plays changed. C is the tonic in one; A is the tonic in the other. The notes haven’t moved — only the centre of gravity.

Quick reference

Major	Notes	Relative minor	Same notes
C	C D E F G A B	Am	A B C D E F G
G	G A B C D E F♯	Em	E F♯ G A B C D
D	D E F♯ G A B C♯	Bm	B C♯ D E F♯ G A
A	A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯	F♯m	F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E
E	E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯	C♯m	C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B
F	F G A B♭ C D E	Dm	D E F G A B♭ C
B♭	B♭ C D E♭ F G A	Gm	G A B♭ C D E♭ F

The pattern continues — see the Circle of Fifths.