Natural Minor Scales & Parallel/Relative Keys

Natural Minor Scales & Parallel/Relative Keys

High School Music Theory

Learners Can:

Lesson Overview

• identified step patterns of the natural minor scale
• analyzed patterns of accidentals in key signatures
• defined parallel key and relative key
• compared major and natural minor scales
• aurally identified major and minor scales

Vocabulary

natural minor scale, parallel keys, relative keys

Review: Minor Keys

• Each major key has a relative minor key

• The circle of fifths and fourths show both of these keys with the major key on the outside and the minor key on the inside

• BOTH keys have the same key signature.

Review: Enharmonic Keys

• music notations are enharmonic when they have different names but represent the same music element

• pitches can have enharmonic equivalents with a different letter name and accidental depending on whether sharps or flats are used

• the pitch remains the same despite the different spelling

• collections of sharps and flats in key signatures can also be named enharmonically

• the bottom of the circle of fifths and fourths shows these relationships.

Relative Keys

• Scales that have the same accidentals have relative keys

• The scales have different starting pitches but have flats or sharps on the same letter name notes

• The different starting pitch gives the scales their different sound

• Every Major scale/key has a relative minor key

What is the relative minor key of E Major?

Parallel Keys

• Scales that have the same starting pitch have parallel keys

• The pitches have the same letter name pattern, but the accidentals that raise or lower the pitches are different and change the sound of the scale collection

What is the parallel key of e minor?

What is the same for the key signatures?

Relative Keys

Parallel Keys

Natural Minor Scale

• There are three types of minor scales

• Natural minor is the diatonic version with no chromatic alterations

• Natural scale has a pattern of W H W W H W W

• The natural minor scale starts on the sixth scale degree of the relative Major scale

Natural Minor Scale Examples

Natural Minor Scale

• It is much easier to remember how to create the minor scale using the parallel Major key signature and the Major scale step pattern (W W H W W W H)
• When comparing the natural minor scale to its parallel Major scale, you will notice that scale degrees 3, 6 and 7 are lowered by a half step
• Sharp notes will be lowered to be natural, natural notes will be flatted, and flat notes will turn into double flats
• Some scales will have a mix of accidentals.

Change the F Major scale to f natural minor

What keys are defined by the key signature shown in the image below?

Match the pairs to the correct label

Relative Keys

Parallel Keys

A Major and f# minor

Bb Major and g minor

Eb Major and eb minor

G Major and g minor

Star the phrase that is in the key of Eb Major.

Summary

In today's lesson, you:

• identified step patterns of the natural minor scale

• analyzed patterns of accidentals in key signatures

• defined parallel key and relative key

• compared major and natural minor scales

• aurally identified major and minor scales