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Banjo Scales Chart
by: Lee Drew Andrews

Minor Chords and Relative Minors

Part 2

by Bob Altschuler

Part 1 in the October 2008 issue described relative minors, how minor chords are constructed, the feelings they convey and how often these chords are used in all types of music, including bluegrass. As noted in Part 1, when you hear Foggy Mountain Breakdown, 1950s and 60s oldies, country music and popular songs of all genres, you’re hearing chord progressions full of minors and relative minors.

Knowledge of some of the theory behind your picking is important because it can help to expand your skills and give you tools to improvise. Here is some more theory beyond the explanations in Part 1, to show how major and relative minor chords are related. After that is information about finding relative minors using the three major chord positions, plus examples of licks from the moveable Scruggs E minor position you can play out of any D position major chord.

Scales are the foundation for all notes, melody, chords and back up. Notes are named after the letter A through G, plus sharps and flats. Major scales follow a specific sequence of distances between notes (intervals). There are whole steps (the distance between two piano keys or two frets) and half steps (one piano key or one fret). A major key always has notes in the order of w-w-h-w-w-w-h (w is a whole step and h is a half step). The only slightly tricky thing is that there are sharps (#) and flats (b) between every note except B to C and E to F. You can see this on a piano because sharps and flats are black keys, and there are no black keys between B and C or E and F.

A G major scale, as noted in Part 1, has the notes G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G. This follows the whole/half step formula noted above of w-w-h-w-w-w-h. There is a whole step (two notes or two frets- G# to A) between G and A, another whole step between A and B, a half step between B and C (one note, since there is no sharp or flat between these notes), etc., going up the G scale.

In Part 1 we saw that the major chord and its relative minor have two notes in common, and that the relative minor is the sixth note (made into a minor) of a major scale. For a G scale the sixth note is E so the relative minor that goes with G is E minor.For a C scale the sixth note is A and the relative minor is A minor. Now we’ll see how the scales for the major and relative minor have the same notes but start in different places in each scale.

A natural minor scale, like the major scale, follows a specific sequence of note intervals. However, the formula for a minor scale is different than for a major scale.Using whole (w) and half (h) steps, it’s w-h-w-w-h-w-w. The scale for the relative minor of G, which is E minor, therefore has the notes E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E. There is a whole step (two frets or two notes) from E to F#, a half step (one fret or one note) from F# to G,etc.

If you compare the G and E minor (relative minor to G) scales, you will see that they have the same notes (and only one sharp or flat, F#), but each scale starts on adifferent note. The G scale starts on G and the E minor scale starts on E.

The G scale is G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G,
The Em scale is E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E.

Here is the G major scale repeated twice, with the E minor scale within it:
G A B C D (E F# G A B C D E) F# G

The major scale formula of whole (W) and half (H) steps with the minor scale formula in parenthesis is:
W W H W W (W H // W W H W W W) H

The whole and half step formula for the G major scale continues in the scale as it repeats, and determines the note sequence in the embedded E minor scale, which starts on the E note. Because the Em scale starts part way up the G scale, the formula changes, even though it is just a continuation of the major scale formula. Refer to the first three measures of the tab to see the G and Em scales.

Now for some hands-on information you can put into your playing. You can easily find the relative minor of any chord from any of the three major chord positions (F, D and barre). We’ll play the minor chords on strings one, two and three for now and leave out the note on string 4.

From the barre position, you would add the notes two frets up on the first and fourth strings for the full relative minor. To play Em (relative minor to a G major chord) from the open G chord, which is really a barre chord, play the basic Em near the peg head with strings two and three open and strings one and four fretted at fret two. This is the Em in the first break of Foggy Mountain Breakdown. You can also play the Em on strings one, two and three as noted above. Both versions are shown in measure four of the tab. For other barre chords add the note on the first string two frets up from the barre (use your ring finger or pinky) and play the minor chord on strings one, two and three. The barre chords and relative minors are shown in measures five through eight of the tab. To find the relative minor from an F position chord, move the note on string two up two frets and play strings one, two and three. You can do this by taking your ring finger off the fourth string and putting it on the second string above your pinky (on the same fret) as shown in measures nine through twelve of the tab.

To find the relative minor from a D position chord, use your ring finger and add the note on string three directly above the note you are playing on string one. This is shown in measures 13 to 16 of the tab. Just play strings one, two and three. Rearrange your fingers to use your index on string two, middle on string three and ring finger on string one. This leaves your pinky free to fret notes on string two, which Earl Scruggs does extensively in this position. This is the classic Scruggs E minor triangle shaped position he uses at frets nine and ten. You can play this relative minor position elsewhere on the neck for any chord by altering the D position. There are classic Scruggs licks using this position for several chords in measures 17 to 24 of the tab.

Happy picking!

Minor and Relative Minors Part 2
MinorandRelMinors2.mp3

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About the Author

Bob Altschuler lives in upstate New York and has played bluegrass banjo since 1970. As a banjo instructor, his 25 years of experience includes teaching many students at Banjo Camp North, where he has been the Beginner Bluegrass Track Coordinator since 2003. Bob's training and work as a public school teacher sharpened his teaching abilities, and helped him become a patient and sought after banjo instructor (his day job is now with the NY State Retirement System).

Bob performs with the Dyer Switch band at concerts and festivals across the Northeast, Midwest and South, and recorded American Airwaves and Family Business CDs with the band. His banjo playing has also been heard on Northeast Public Radio and on television and radio commercials.

You can contact Bob at arobanjo@aol.com, or through the Dyer Switch website at www.dyerswitch.com.