The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    My apologies if this is too basic for most.

    Here's the definition I'm reading " Each minor scale is related to a major scale and shares the same key signature".

    I get that a relative minor of a major scale is 3 semitones lower than the major scale root note, so Am is the relative minor of C.

    But how does this all relate? The C scale is C D E F G A B C and to compare an A minor scale don't we have to flat the 3rd, 6th,and the 7th to get A B C D E F G A as in no sharps or flats???

    So how does this relate to chording, chord substitution, and soloing?

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  3. #2

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    Measure intervals from the root of each scale

    C D - ma2
    C E - ma3
    C F - P4
    C G - P5
    C A - ma6
    C B - ma7
    C C - P 8ve

    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

    A B - ma2
    A C - m3
    A D - P4
    A E - P5
    A F - m6
    A G - b7
    A A - P8ve

    1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8

    The minor 3rd is already there. The A minor scale is derived
    from the same note collection as C major, we are simply
    just shifting our point of orientation from C to A.

    I believe you are confusing the parallel transformation of
    C major to C minor with a relative minor.

    Compare:

    C D E F G A B C

    C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

    In this case the 3rd, 6th and 7th note are flatted to change a C major scale into a C minor scale.

  4. #3
    Bako,

    I was confusing changing an A major scale rather than using the C major scale relationship to A minor.

    The interval description makes a lot more sense.

    Thank you !

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Naquat
    But how does this all relate? The C scale is C D E F G A B C and to compare an A minor scale don't we have to flat the 3rd, 6th,and the 7th to get A B C D E F G A as in no sharps or flats???

    So how does this relate to chording, chord substitution, and soloing?
    Naquat, If you take A major scale and flat the 3,6 and 7 you will get ABCDEFG=A minor=C major=CDEFGAB.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Naquat
    Here's the definition I'm reading " Each minor scale is related to a major scale and shares the same key signature".
    Keep it very simple. Relative major and minor scales have the same notes. C major is C D E F G A B C. A minor is A B C D E F G A. Same notes, different start note. That's why the key signature is the same for both.

    (The A major scale has nothing to with this at all. The relative minor of A major is F# minor and the key sig for both is three sharps. Don't confuse it with A minor. Different notes, different chords, different key signature.)

    So how does this relate to chording, chord substitution, and soloing?
    Sorry, it would take too long to talk about chords and substitutions, it's too complicated.

    Re. soloing, it basically means you can play the notes of the C scale over C major and A minor because they're the same chords. Chords are made from scales so the chords of C major and A minor are the same but, like the two scales, in a different order. So the same scale will fit both.

    BUT...

    This whole subject is further complicated by there being not one but three types of minor scale: natural, harmonic and melodic. The one we've been talking about above is only the natural minor. And very few tunes are written in natural minor.

    The other two have sharp notes in them therefore different chords. You'll have to investigate those when you get there :-)