Harmony
Relative minor
The relative minor of a major key is the minor key with exactly the same notes and key signature, built on the major scale's sixth degree, a minor third lower.
What is a relative minor?
C major and A minor use the same seven notes: C D E F G A B. The only difference is which note feels like home. A minor is the relative minor of C major, and C major is the relative major of A minor.
The relative minor is built on the sixth degree of the major scale, so its scale is the natural minor scale starting on that degree. Both keys share one key signature: no sharps or flats for C major and A minor, one sharp (F#) for G major and E minor.
How do you find the relative minor on guitar?
The rule: go down three half steps (a minor third) from the major tonic. On one string, that is three frets:
- G at the 3rd fret of the 6th string, three frets down: open E. Relative of G major: E minor.
- C at the 8th fret of the 6th string: A at the 5th. Relative of C major: A minor.
- A at the 5th fret of the 6th string: F# at the 2nd. Relative of A major: F# minor.
| Major | C | G | D | A | E | F | Bb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relative minor | Am | Em | Bm | F#m | C#m | Dm | Gm |
On the circle of fifths, each relative minor sits right next to its major key.
Same chords, different home: how do you tell them apart?
The chords of C major are also the chords of A minor. C, Am, F, G sounds major; Am, F, C, G sounds minor. What decides it:
- the chord the song starts and ends on (C or Am);
- the melody, which settles on C or on A;
- an E or E7 instead of Em: its G# comes from harmonic minor and almost always signals A minor.
Exercise: play Am, Dm, E7, Am, then C, F, G7, C. Same open shapes, two clearly different centres.
The relative pentatonic shortcut
The A minor pentatonic (A C D E G) has exactly the notes of the C major pentatonic. The practical upshot: slide a minor pentatonic box down three frets and it becomes the major pentatonic of the note you started from.
Want to solo in G major? Use the E minor box (frets 0 to 3, or 12 to 15) instead of the G minor box at the 3rd fret. Same shape, three frets lower, and your solo goes from bluesy to country. To check any relative pair in one click, open the interactive circle of fifths.
Key takeaways
- Relative minor = same key signature, same notes, home on the 6th degree.
- On one string: three frets below the major tonic (C at 8, A at 5).
- E7 with a G# is a strong hint of A minor rather than C major.
- Minor pentatonic three frets lower = major pentatonic.
- Not to be confused with the parallel minor (C major, C minor).
Frequently asked questions
What is the relative minor of G major?
E minor. Both keys have one sharp, F#, and share the chords G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F#dim.
What is the difference between relative minor and parallel minor?
The relative minor keeps the notes and changes the tonic (C major, A minor). The parallel minor keeps the tonic and changes the notes (C major, C minor, which has three flats).
How do you find the relative major of a minor key?
Go up three half steps from the minor tonic: E minor to G major, D minor to F major. On one string, that is three frets toward the body.
Related terms
Practise in the workshop
Take it from theory to the fretboard
Open the workshop tools and see this idea across the whole neck. Free account, no card needed.