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New Released in April 2026

Relative Minor and Relative Major: Same Chords, New Home

Every major key has a relative minor that uses exactly the same notes and chords. To find the relative minor, go down three half steps from the major key note: C major goes to A minor, G major to E minor. Go up three half steps to get back.

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No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.

  • MIDI keyboard
  • Digital or acoustic piano
  • Guitar
  • Computer, phone or tablet
ChordRunner running on a phone next to an acoustic guitar, above a piano being played

All 12 pairs

  • C major and A minor; G and E minor; D and B minor; A and F# minor.
  • E and C# minor; B and G# minor; F# and D# minor.
  • F and D minor; Bb and G minor; Eb and C minor; Ab and F minor; Db and Bb minor.

Why they share chords

C major and A minor both use only the white keys. The chords are the same: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B°. What changes is the home chord: a song that keeps landing on Am, often with an E or E7 before it, is in A minor.

Relative Minor and Relative Major: Same Chords, New Home – ChordRunner

Relative Minor and Relative Major: Same Chords, New Home

ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.

Play the demo

A shortcut on the instrument

  • Piano: from the major key note, count down to the 6th note of its scale. In C: C, B, A. A is the relative minor.
  • Guitar: the relative minor root is three frets below the major root on the same string. G at the 3rd fret of the low E string, E minor at the open string.

Use it in practice

Relative keys mean you already know more minor keys than you think. In ChordRunner you can keep the chords inside one key and scale, then switch from G major to E minor and feel how the same chords get a different centre, on a MIDI keyboard or a piano or guitar through the microphone.

The levels in ChordRunner

  • Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
  • Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
  • Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
  • Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.

Common questions

How do I find the relative minor of a major key?

Go down three half steps from the key note, or take the 6th note of the major scale. C major gives A minor.

What is the relative major of A minor?

C major. Go up three half steps from A to C.

Do relative keys have the same chords?

Yes, the same seven chords and the same key signature. Only the home chord changes, and minor keys often borrow a major V, like E in A minor.

Which instruments work?

A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.

How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?

Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.

Is everything in the demo?

The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.

Your instrument is the controller.

ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.

Try the demo

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