Aeolian mode is often referred to as the relative minor because of sharing the same notes as its relative major scale a minor 3rd away. The relative major to A Aeolian is C major, the relative minor to C major is A Aeolian. The Aeolian mode has a minor I, IV and V chord, this results in a passive resolution from the V to the I which is often undesirable. For this reason the Harmonic Minor scale raises the 7th degree. The strongest harmonic characteristic of Aeolian is the bVI major. The degrees of the scale relative to the parallel major are: I II bIII IV V bVI bVII. It is a tonal mode with a I, IV and V progression.
