Parallel Keys
A major and minor key on the same tonic
Related
Parallel keys are a major and a minor key on the same tonic, such as C major and C minor. They share the tonic but differ in third, sixth, seventh and key signature, like the light and dark sides of one home.
They are not relative keys. Relative keys share a key signature but not a tonic; parallel keys share a tonic but not a signature. A major key borrowing iv or ♭VI from its parallel minor is the familiar case of modal mixture.
The two keys can switch directly or pass through a shared chord or dominant. Direct juxtaposition is vivid and appears in sonata contrasts and in the key change of a pop chorus.
Sources
- 同主音调的定义与借用关系，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Key"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.