In music, what is the relative minor of C major?

In music, the relative minor of C major is A minor. The two keys use the same seven natural notes—A, B, C, D, E, F, and G—and therefore share a key signature with no sharps or flats.

Their difference is the tonal center. C major treats C as the home note and builds its major-scale pattern from C, whereas A minor treats A as the tonic and uses the same pitch collection in a different order. A is the sixth scale degree of C major, so the relative minor can be found by moving down three semitones from the major tonic.

A frequent mistake is confusing relative minor with parallel minor. C minor is the parallel minor of C major because both keys begin on C, but they do not share the same key signature. A minor is relative to C major because the two keys share notes and key signature while having different tonics.

The relationship appears in harmony as well: both keys contain chords such as C major, D minor, F major, and G major. A song using these notes may sound major or minor depending on which note and chord feel like the point of rest.