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In music, relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures (enharmonically equivalent), meaning that they share all of the same notes but are arranged in a different order of whole steps and half steps.
Here are the relative and parallel minor and major keys for every key signature. How do you find the relative minor key from the major key? It’s better to understand how the above chart is built and the relationships between the keys rather than memorize it. First, to be able to do this you must know your major key signatures.
For every note in the chromatic scale there is a relative major key and a relative minor key. Let’s have a look at an example. The two keys are clearly different because they start on a different tonic note and one scale is major (sounds “happy”) whilst the other is minor (sounds “sad”).
Relative major and minor keys are easy to find, especially when using a piano. Relatives have the same key signature, same amount of sharps or flats, and in fact the same exact notes as well! Once you have this concept down, you will see it everywhere, both in classical and modern music.
“Relative keys” is an important concept in music theory that’s able to unlock songwriting and improvisation potential. It grants you a deeper understanding of the relationship between the major and minor scales, and how to epitomise it in an arrangement.
Relative scales are major and minor scales that share the same notes and chords, and therefore the same key signature. Every major scale has a relative minor scale and every minor scale has a relative major scale.
Major and minor keys share two different relationships. The parallel relationship is when a major and minor key share a tonic note, while the relative relationship is when a major and minor key share a key signature.
