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