Parallel
minor
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The relationship between C major and C minor is parallel.
That means that both scales share the same root. C minor is
the parallel minor of C major. Comparing a C major
and C minor scale is a great way to see what is the same,
and what is different between the 2 scales.
All theory boils down to how notes relate to a major scale.
The major scale is the constant that is used to compare everything
else. Each note in a major scale gets a number. When you look
at the comparison of C major and C minor below, you will see
that C minor has b3 (flat 3), b6, and b7 in comparison. What
that means is that those notes are the equivalent of 1 fret
lower on the guitar than the notes in the major scale. So
there are 4 notes that are the same, and 3 notes that are
different.
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C
D E F G A B
C - C major
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1
C
D Eb F G Ab Bb C -
C minor
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 1
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Natural
minor scale formula
These numbers are what is known as the "scale formula".
The formula for a natural minor scale is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.
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Natural
minor formula
1
2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
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Page 3, Major is minor and minor is major
Page 1, Minor scale basics
