Part 7: Make a minor key feel like home · Lesson 067 / 117
Practice stop: major and minor, without shortcuts
Practice stop — no rushCompare what changes in the tonic, note collection and melody.
Review three different questions. C major versus C natural minor keeps C as tonic but changes degrees 3, 6 and 7. C major versus A natural minor keeps the note collection but changes the tonic. C versus Am as chords compares two triads, not two complete scales.
These comparisons use overlapping vocabulary, so work through them one at a time. A clear sentence is more useful than a quick label such as “same shape.”
For the playing task, take two bars of the natural-minor solo and write an alternative ending using the same chord tones. Keep the rhythm or the notes fixed while changing the other ingredient. Explain what you chose.
Before continuing, revisit any confusion about the current chord root versus the tonic. Seventh chords will add an ingredient to familiar triads, so it helps to have those references secure.
Hear it
Relative
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
Parallel: C major/C minor. Relative: C major/A minor. Chord comparison: C–E–G versus A–C–E.
Try it, slowly
- Explain each comparison in one sentence.
- Make a two-bar variation of Minor Home.
- Name its notes first, then identify the current chord roles in a separate pass.
Check one idea
Are C major and A minor parallel keys?
Show the explanation
No. They are relative because they share the note collection. Parallel keys share the same tonic, such as C major and C minor.
A good place to stop
You can keep the three comparisons distinct and explain your small variation.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.