Parallel minor

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.

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

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.

Natural minor formula 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

Page 3, Major is minor and minor is major

Page 1, Minor scale basics