relative minor key signatures

[sweetcool]

hello, I posted this on another board, but got no responses.  Hopefully I'll have more luck here.  Just had a question about harmonizing my scales.  If suppose I was playing in Cmajor, if I wanted to use a minor scale, what would I use?  Would I use a Cminor or an Aminor because this is the relative minor to Cmajor.  If anybody can help me out it'd be great, thx!

[Pviljoen]

You would use Aminor.

Cminor is the relative minor of C major. The relative major of C minor is Eb major, hopefully you can see the difference.

If you are in a major key and want to modulate to a minor one, it's best as a beginner to modulate to the relative minor (you find that key by going down 3 semi tones).

Remember that if it is a harmonic minor, you sharp the 7th of the scale.

[Oddy]

you would use the c minor scale i think.

ofcourse you don't have to though, you can use minor scales in the key of the 3rd and 5th of the c major scale and they will still sound ok........very different....but still harmonized.

i dunno music theory isn't my thing, im not good at explaining it at all. i think i just confused myself.

[gypsy eyes]

Simply Aminor, like Pviljoen explained, it's the minor of Cmajor

for Cmajor you have Aminor, for Dmajor you have Bbminor, etc.

CM ->Am
DM ->Bbm
EbM ->Cm
F#M ->Cm
GM ->Ebm
AM ->Fm
BbM ->Gm

I hope this is correct, haven't used that table in quite a while, the only ones I use are CM and Am...
There are more then these, the trick is simply: to go from a major to a minor you go down three notes, three whole notes that is!! Like CM, you got do, three notes = do si la, so you get la=A: Am
But like I said it has to be a whole note! so if you only got a half note (mi-fa and si-do) you have to make it whole by using a b or a #
To go from minor to major just the other way around, add three notes.
Do you understand a little? My english isn't grand I know

[Oddy]

yeah pilv and gypsey are right..........i just confused myself beyond belief.

doh doh doh

[blues_rock_axeman]

Play something until it sounds roughly in key, then bitch about the monitor guy.