Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Changes on piano

By Black Sabbath

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Changes in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: G – Bb7 – F – Am
Changes sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; F is F, A and C; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIIBb7IV7FIAmiii
- GG · B · D
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- FF · A · C
- AmA · C · E
2
Left hand: Doorbell ding-dong
Two high, two low, in a lazy push rhythm: ding-ding, dong-dong. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8-5-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 472 songs of the library.
Doorbell ding-dongBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 108 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
5
Ending: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Changes?

The loop is G – Bb7 – F – Am (II – IV7 – I – iii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Changes in?

F major, at about 108 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Changes?

Doorbell ding-dong: broken chord 8-8-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Changes easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Changes?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.