majorminor

Majorminor is a term used in music theory to describe the central dichotomy between major and minor tonalities in Western tonal music. It encompasses the pair of scales, their triads and chords, and the common practices by which music modulates between them.

Major and minor are defined by distinct diatonic scales and triads. The major scale follows a specific whole-step and half-step pattern and yields major triads; the natural minor scale has its own pattern and forms minor triads. Variants such as harmonic minor and melodic minor alter certain degrees to support voice-leading and cadences. Each major key has a relative minor sharing the same key signature, and parallel keys differ by mode rather than by key signature.

Historically, the major/minor system became dominant in Baroque through Romantic Western music, shaping harmony, melody, and form. Composers exploit tonal brightness and darkness to create contrast and emotional progression. In jazz, film music, and popular genres, the major/minor framework remains central, often expanded with extended harmonies or modal interchange to blur the boundary between modes.

Analytically, majorminor is used to identify key centers, chord progressions, and tonal color. In musicology and computational analysis, automatic key detection and harmonic analysis rely on recognizing whether a piece is in major or minor. Some theorists critique the rigidity of the dichotomy for polytonal, modal, or non-Western music, but the majorminor framework remains foundational for understanding much of Western tonal music and pedagogy.