relative minor

American  

noun

Music.

1. the minor key whose tonic is the sixth degree of a given major key.

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Etymology

Origin of relative minor

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relative minor

Most of these villains are relative minor leaguers in the DC canon.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2021

Musically, the song plays a clever trick by starting in the key of F major before switching to the relative minor, D major, and never fully resolving - echoing the lineman's disjointed state of mind.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2017

C minor is the relative minor of E flat major.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

It is easy to predict where the relative minor of a major key can be found.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

You can begin practicing harmonic analysis by practicing identifying whether a piece is in the major key or in its relative minor.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones