Relative Minor/Major

[MEKer]

OK, someone explain whats so good about this relationship.

I mean, if the guitar's doing a CMaj thing, I don't think I'll be doing anything in its relative minor, Amin. That'd be a lil cumbersome.

Visa versa on relative Maj over the guitar doing a minor thing. Taking out individual bass notes to play would not really address any issue between the two.

So someone enlighten us (me) on the big deal.
Thanks.

[MalcolmAmos]

You have a point. Major over major, minor over minor usually works out for the best, however, we "break" that rule of thumb all the time. Minor pentatonic over major progressions. The blues scale, which is just the minor pentatonic with a blue note added, will be used over a dominant seventh progression all the time. Moving between an individual chord - C and Cm - done all the time for color and interest.

Notes of the major and relative minor are the same, it's how the chords are used that dictate if it is major or minor, so drawing your bass line notes from the chords being used should govern which notes you use.

So what is so good about this relationship? Had another long post developing -- deleted it --Boils down to the two work very well with each other. Of course IMHO.

Have fun.

[MEKer]

Exactly--same notes, different arrangement. So back to just plucking out the proper notes to provide the bass line. So might as well ignore the relationship.

[dvh]

Except that you want to be thinking major or minor to get the context right...

[Richard Lindsey]

Originally Posted by MEKer

OK, someone explain whats so good about this relationship.

I mean, if the guitar's doing a CMaj thing, I don't think I'll be doing anything in its relative minor, Amin. That'd be a lil cumbersome.

Visa versa on relative Maj over the guitar doing a minor thing. Taking out individual bass notes to play would not really address any issue between the two.

So someone enlighten us (me) on the big deal.
Thanks.

That's not what relative major and minor is about. It is primarily a statement that two keys are related--cousins if you like. In conventional notation, they share a key signature, as well as a number of notes and chords. (Not exactly all the same notes and chords, BTW; for example, A minor will often use G# rather than G, and that is perfectly correct A minor harmony).

The idea was never that you should necessarily play A minor when everybody else was playing C major. (Though that's a choice that could be made in some cases.)

The value lies mainly in understanding relationships between keys. It can also help with chord substitutions.

There's no "good"--or "bad"--about the relationship. It just is.

[MEKer]

Originally Posted by Richard Lindsey

That's not what relative major and minor is about. It is primarily a statement that two keys are related--cousins if you like. In conventional notation, they share a key signature, as well as a number of notes and chords. (Not exactly all the same notes and chords, BTW; for example, A minor will often use G# rather than G, and that is perfectly correct A minor harmony).

The idea was never that you should necessarily play A minor when everybody else was playing C major. (Though that's a choice that could be made in some cases.)

The value lies mainly in understanding relationships between keys. It can also help with chord substitutions.

There's no "good"--or "bad"--about the relationship. It just is.

Excellent. There it is in a nutshell. Thanks, Richard...again.