Which tonal relationship shares the same tonic pitch as its parallel major and is often contrasted with the relative minor?

• A. Relative minor
• B. Relative major
• C. Parallel minor
• D. Enharmonic

Answer: (C)

Think of major and minor keys that begin on the same pitch. That is parallel minor. The major and its parallel minor share the same tonic—for example, C major and C minor both start on C. They differ in the scale degrees, giving the minor its distinct mood even though the starting note is the same. This relationship is often set in contrast to the relative minor, which shares the major’s key signature but has a different tonic (the relative minor of C major is A minor). The other terms describe different ideas: relative minor is about key signature, enharmonic is about the spelling of pitches, and parallel minor specifically ties the minor key to its major by the shared starting pitch.