The Relative Key

Roberto Barlocci
2 min readJan 25, 2025

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The relative key is the major or minor key that has the same key signature as a given key.

The Circle of Fifths

An easy way to find relative keys is to use the circle of fifths:

Circle of Fifths diagram

  • Each major key has a relative minor key whose root is a minor third lower.
  • Each minor key has a relative major key whose root is a minor third higher.

Example:

C major and A minor are relative keys. G major and E minor are relative keys.

Table of Relative Keys

“Hurt” by Johnny Cash

The song “Hurt” begins and ends with an Am chord. You might think the song is in C major because A minor contains the same notes as C major. But the chord progression and melody of “Hurt” fit much better in the key of A minor. If you were to write the song in C major, you would have to use many accidentals.

Major and Minor Compared

Although major and minor use the same notes, they differ in their mood and harmony. This is due to the different arrangement of the notes and chords.

Here you can see the typical chords in major and minor:

The chords in major and minor are the same, only the order and function change.

Improvisation with Relative Keys

If you want to improvise over a song, it is helpful to know the key. For example, you can use the pentatonic scale of the relative key to create interesting melodies.

Guitar Example:

Let’s say you want to improvise over a song in C major. C major is located on the 8th fret of the guitar. The relative key of A minor is three frets lower on the 5th fret. So you can play the A minor pentatonic on the 5th fret to improvise over the song.

  • C major is on the 8th fret.
  • The relative key A minor is three frets lower on the 5th fret.
  • From there you can play A minor pentatonic.

Important Terms:

  • Enharmonic Equivalents: When you use notes with different names but the same pitch (e.g. F# and Gb).
  • Tritone: An interval consisting of three whole steps.
  • Tonic: The root of a key.

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Roberto Barlocci
Roberto Barlocci

Written by Roberto Barlocci

Guitarist (Atomic Symphony) and Guitar Teacher at mszu.ch

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