SWARSHALA — RELATIVE AND PARALLEL KEY WORKSHEET
Original learning aid, 3 October 2026
Guide: https://swarshala.com/blog/relative-vs-parallel-major-minor-keys

Scope: relationships between named major and minor keys. Minor signatures
use natural minor. Do not infer a piece's tonal centre from its signature
alone. ASCII: # = sharp; b after a letter = flat.

Date: ______________
For each pair: same tonic? same signature? relative / parallel / neither?
Include the altered-letter list as evidence for your decision.

1. F major / D minor
   Tonic: ______ Signature: ______________ Relationship: ___________
2. A major / A minor
   Tonic: ______ Signature: ______________ Relationship: ___________
3. D major / B minor
   Tonic: ______ Signature: ______________ Relationship: ___________
4. Bb major / G minor
   Tonic: ______ Signature: ______________ Relationship: ___________
5. C major / E minor
   Tonic: ______ Signature: ______________ Relationship: ___________

6. Write the relative minor AND parallel minor of Eb major.
   Relative: __________________ Parallel: _________________________
   Explain which property each preserves: _________________________

7. Gb major has six flats and notes Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb.
   What is its relative minor? __________ Why not D# minor? ________
   ________________________________________________________________

8. A score has one sharp. Is that alone proof it is in G major?
   ________________________________________________________________

---------------- ANSWER KEY: CHECK AFTER YOUR ATTEMPT ----------------
1. Relative: different tonics F/D; shared signature Bb.
2. Parallel: shared tonic A; signatures F# C# G# / no sharps or flats.
3. Relative: different tonics D/B; shared signature F# C#.
4. Relative: different tonics Bb/G; shared signature Bb Eb.
5. Neither: different tonics C/E; signatures none / F#.
6. Relative: C minor, preserving the three-flat signature Bb Eb Ab.
   Parallel: Eb minor, preserving tonic Eb (its signature has six flats).
7. Eb minor. Degree 6 of Gb major is Eb; both keys use six flats.
   D# minor has six sharps, so does not preserve this signature spelling.
8. No. G major and E minor are initial candidates in a major/minor task.
   Musical context is needed before deciding the piece's tonal centre.

Source principles: Open Music Theory, Minor Scales; Music Theory for the
21st-Century Classroom, Minor Key Signatures. Full links in the guide.
AI-assisted publishing-desk material; no independent expert review claimed.