  
3
Minor
key signatures
As mentioned earlier in this lesson, relative keys share the same
key signature but not the same tonic. Therefore, you have
already memorized the minor key signatures! The trick is to
determine the appropriate minor tonic for each key signature.
A simple way to determine the key signatures for the minor scales
is to remember that the minor key is located three letter names
below its relative major key AND at a distance of exactly three
half steps. Look at the table of relative major/minor key
signatures below.
There are three important things
you should observe about each pair of relative keys: |
1. |
The major tonic is on top,
the minor tonic, below.
(Hint: "Miners" spend their time below
ground.) |
 |
2. |
The tonics lie on adjacent
spaces or adjacent lines. |
3. |
The relative tonics are always
three half steps apart (be sure to check with a keyboard). |
|
relative
major/minor key signatures

  
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