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What are Relative Minors?

[lollum_dropcap]W[/lollum_dropcap]orking with minor keys is very simple. All the chords from your major key stay the same but now the sixth chord is treated as the new tonic chord.

Notice in the diagram below how vi minor (in the key of C major) becomes i minor (in the key of A minor)  and I major (in the key of C major) becomes III major (in the key of A minor). All the chords maintain their tonality, they simply shift positions.

The only chord that stays the same is the V major chord. It should become v minor but because of the V chord’s dominant tendency to resolve to the tonic chord we let it maintain its major tonality by borrowing it from the parallel A Harmonic Minor scale.

The C Major / A Minor Relationship

All 12 Major Keys and Their Relative Minors

When applied to all twelve keys the list of major and relative minors looks like this.

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