In western classical music theory, the minor scale refers to three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending).

There are 15 Major Keys based off the Major Scale, and 15 Minor Keys based off the Natural Minor Scale. A few of these keys are ‘enharmonic,’ meaning that they contain the same pitches but use different note names. Enharmonic keys and can be useful to composers that want to emphasize either sharp or flat notes in their notation.

The hallmark that distinguishes major keys from minor is whether the third scale degree is major or minor. Major and minor keys are based on the corresponding scales, and the tonic triad of those keys consist of the corresponding chords; however, a major key can encompass minor chords based on other roots, and vice versa.

What is the difference between major vs. minor keys? How do you play in a selected minor key? In this comprehensive guide to minor keys, we’ll cover all of this and more. Read on to learn the theory behind minor keys, how to build minor scales, chords, and intervals, and how to listen for them in the songs you know and love. Table of Contents. 1.

A minor key is called the relative minor of the major key that has the same key signature. Even though they have the same key signature, a minor key and its relative major sound very different. They have different tonal centers , and each will feature melodies, harmonies, and chord progressions built around their (different) tonal centers.

Here are the scales from two relative keys—C major and A minor—written so you can see the different placement of their scale degrees within the same diatonic collection:

While there are three minor scales, minor keys and minor key signatures are always identified as simply “minor” (“A minor,” “D minor,” etc.) and are based on the natural minor scale. Scale degrees in minor are the same as those in major.

While there are three minor scales, minor keys and minor key signatures are always identified as simply “minor” (“A minor,” “D minor,” etc.) and are based on the natural minor scale. Scale degrees in minor are the same as those in major. There are a few new solfège syllables in minor including me (↓^3↓3^), le (↓^6↓6^), and te (↓^7↓7^).

Let’s have a look at two examples of natural minor scales: The key signature of A minor tells us that there are no sharps or flats (in other words, you play all the white notes on a keyboard and none of the black notes).

If you are able to quickly identify and write all the major and minor key signatures, music theory will be much easier for you. Key signatures will have either flats or sharps, not both. We will begin with minor key signatures with flats. Flats in minor key signatures always appear in the same order as they did in major: