Explore Keys & Tonality with music dictionary guides to key signatures, tonic notes, major and minor keys, and tonal centers.
In music theory, a parallel minor is the minor key that shares the same tonic (root note) as a given major key, differing only in mode. The relationship is used for contrast, modulation, and expressive colour in many styles of Western music.
In tonal music, the relative minor is the minor key that shares the same key signature as a given major key, located a minor third below the major tonic. It provides a closely related tonal alternative without changing accidentals.
Transposition is the process of shifting a piece of music, a passage, or a single note to a different pitch level while preserving its intervallic relationships. It is a fundamental technique used by composers, arrangers, and performers across many musical styles.