(G major's sixth note is E)
(D Major's sixth note is B)
(A Major's sixth note is F#)
In this week's lecture there are no new scales but we will expand the meaning of key signatures and discuss relationships between major and minor scales.
As mentioned briefly last week, each natural minor scale shares the same notes with a major scale of a different letter name. As you recall the A natural minor scale does not use any sharps or flats, just like the C major scale. The A natural minor scale is the relative minor scale of C major because they both have the same notes. Notice that the sixth note of C major is letter A. Also notice that the third note of A natural minor is letter C. These relationships are consistent throughout all of the major scales and their relative minor scales. As in real life, these relationships work both ways. We can refer to a major scale and its relative minor, and/or a minor scale and its relative major. As an example, C major's relative minor is A minor (always the natural minor form). Here's an example from the other perspective: E minor's relative major is G major because both of those scales use one sharp (F#). It is implied that the natural minor form is used when comparing major and minor scales.
Just as we can use a key signature to indicate a major key, we can use a key signature to indicate a minor key. We don't need to create any new key signatures, we'll simply re-use the ones we already have. Each key signature will now have two possible interpretations, a major key or the relative minor key.
How do you know which interpretation is the correct one? We will examine some strategies for making the correct decision in this lecture.
Before listing all of the Minor key signatures, I want to restate the fact that the sixth note of a major scale is the starting note of its relative minor. For each key signature, think of the major key that signature represents. The sixth note of that scale is the letter name of the minor scale also represented by that key signature. This is true in every case. The key signature of one sharp represents G major and the sixth note of G major is E. Therefore the key signature of one sharp also represents E minor. Here's another example: The key signature of two sharps represents D major. The sixth note of D major is B, so the key signature of two sharps also represents B minor.
|
E minor (G major's sixth note is E) |
|
B minor (D Major's sixth note is B) |
|
F# minor (A Major's sixth note is F#) |
|
|
C# minor (E Major's sixth note is C#) |
  |
G# minor (B Major's sixth note is G#) |
  |
D# minor (F# Major's sixth note is D#) |
  |
|
A# minor (C# Major's sixth note is A#) |
  |
|
D minor (F Major's sixth note is D) |
  |
G minor (Bb Major's sixth note is G) |
  |
C minor (Eb Major's sixth note is C) |
  |
|
F minor (Ab Major's sixth note is F) |
  |
Bb minor (Db Major's sixth note is Bb) |
  |
Eb minor (Gb Major's sixth note is Eb) |
  |
|
Ab minor (Cb Major's sixth note is Ab) |
  |
Here is the traditional layout for key signatures now updated to include the minor key signature designations.
There is another common comparison used between major and minor scales. The relationship between major and minor scales with the same starting note is known as a PARALLEL relationship. C major's 'parallel minor' is C minor and conversely C minor's 'parallel major' is C major. They share the same starting notes and a few other notes but they have different key signatures. When comparing C major and C natural minor you will notice that there are three different notes. So that the different notes will be more obvious, I won't use a key signature for the examples in this section.
| C major |
          
|
| C natural minor |
  
|
Notice the comparison between A major and A natural minor. There are three different notes in this key also. All major scales and their parallel natural minor scales will have three different notes. The 3rd, 6th and 7th scale degrees will always be different when comparing a major scale and its parallel minor (natural minor form).
| A major |
     
|
| A natural minor |
 
|
The changes made to create the harmonic and melodic forms are moving those scales closer to the parallel major scale. Let's look at the C major scale and the three forms of the parallel minor, C natural minor, C harmonic minor and C melodic minor.
| C major |
|
| C natural minor |
|
| C harmonic minor |
|
| C melodic minor |
|
As it turns out, throughout musical history composers have used both the relative and parallel relationships between major and minor keys. For example if Beethoven was writing an extended composition in the key of F minor, it was common for him to use the relative major key (Ab major) or the parallel major key (F major) depending on the desired musical effect. In fact, additional, closely related keys were commonly used.
So, what is a closely related key?
Using the circle of fifths as a reference, a closely related key is a major or minor key that is at an adjacent location in the circle to the current key. Expanding this definition just a little, one could include the parallel major/minor relationships. As an example, the closely related keys of Am would include C major, D minor, F major (one notch counterclockwise) , E minor and G major (one notch clockwise). With the expanded definition one also includes the parallel major, A major.
Are we saying that a composer might start a composition in one key and then change to another key somewhere in the middle of the composition?
Yes, a complete examination of this process is beyond the scope of this course, but it is common for some compositions to change keys in the middle then return to the original before the end.
The first example is the C major scale followed its relative minor, A minor. The order of the scales in this example is C major, A natural minor, C major, A harmonic minor, C major, A melodic minor (ascending/descending), C major, A melodic minor.
Open MIDI file
Open mp3 file
Play file
The second example is C major and its parallel minor, C minor. The order of the scales is C major, C natural minor, C harmonic minor, C melodic minor (ascending/descending), C melodic minor.
Open MIDI file
Open mp3 file
Play file
There are several clues one can look for in a composition to determine whether a key signature is used as a major key signature or a minor key signature. The first thing one can look for is the last bass note of a composition. Most compositions end with the key note in the bass, so if you see a key signature of 2 sharps (D major or B minor) and the last bass note is B, the composition is most likely in B minor. Conversely, if the last note is a D then one would assume that the key signature represents D major.
Additional clues are given when the harmonic minor or melodic minor forms are used. Traditionally, a minor key signature represents the natural minor form. If composers want to use the harmonic or melodic forms (as is common) they will have to add an accidental sharp or natural sign to create these forms. If the key signature is one sharp ( E minor or G major) and there is an additional D# accidental used, this is a clue that the E harmonic minor form is being used. Why? Because D# is needed to create the harmonic minor form when a key signature of one sharp is being used. In this case, one should conclude that the key signature of one sharp represents E minor. A similar situation exists if you were to see both accidentals C# and D# within the key signature of one sharp. These notes are needed to create E melodic minor. However, since a composition might 'modulate' to another key in the middle, these clues are not always accurate.
Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) wrote many great pieces of music in minor keys. One of his most famous piano pieces is the Adagio from the 'Moonlight' piano sonata. This piece is in the key of C# minor but it modulates to several other keys in the middle section before returning to C# minor. Do you know what key signature is used to indicate C# minor? Yes, four sharps. Additional accidentals are needed throughout this piece, it does not stay strictly within the context of four sharps for very long.
Open MIDI file
Open mp3 file
Play file
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) also wrote many great pieces in minor keys. Here is his prelude in C minor for piano. What key signature would you expect to see for C minor? If you said three flats, you get ice cream. This piece has been the inspiration for a few pop ballads over the years. As in the Beethoven piece, there are several notes outside of the key signature that require accidentals.
Open MIDI file
Open mp3 file
Play file
Reading:
Required Test 9 is in Quizzes.
(Optional) JavaScript quizzes.
Below are the MINOR key signatures in random order. Click the button next to the correct letter name for each key signature.