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

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

From Seattle Times

The Invest in Education Act initiative was refiled Friday after what proponents say are relative minor changes prompted by a Legislative Council review.

From Washington Times

“Three lions on a shirt / Jules Rimet still gleaming / Thirty years of hurt / Never stopped me dreaming,” it goes, slipping from a major chord to its relative minor: A-flat major to F minor, then E-flat to C minor, over a steady descending bass line.

From The New Yorker

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

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