Written on 28 October 2013.

Relative Major & Relative Minor

Relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures. A major and minor scale sharing the same key signature are said to be in a relative relationship. 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; this is as opposed to parallel minor or major, which shares the same tonic.
The minor key starts three semitones below its relative major; for example, A minor is three semitones below its relative, C Major.
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, and conversely G major is the relative major of E minor. The tonic of the relative minor is the sixth scale degree of the major scale, while the tonic of the relative major is the third degree of the minor scale^. The relative relationship may be visualized through the circle of fifths.
A complete list of relative minor/major pairs in order of the circle of fifths is:

Major key	Minor key
F♭ major	D♭ minor
C♭ major	A♭ minor
G♭ major	E♭ minor
D♭ major	B♭ minor
A♭ major	F minor
E♭ major	C minor
B♭ major	G minor
F major	D minor
C major	A minor
G major	E minor
D major	B minor
A major	F♯ minor
E major	C♯ minor
B major	G♯ minor
F♯ major	D♯ minor
C♯ major	A♯ minor
G♯ major	E♯ minor

Tips