Piano chords · Lullaby boat
Changes: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Sarah McLachlan & Pierre Marchand
- D minor
- 6/8
- 63 BPM
- 2010
- Medium
The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Changes without reading music. The left hand plays swelling 6/8 (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.
The catchy part of Changes in letter notes
The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.
Changes accompaniment in letter notes
The F – C – Dm – F – Bb – F – Gm – C loop with swelling 6/8 in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
How to read the bar sheet
The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.
Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.
Play next
More by Sarah McLachlan & Pierre Marchand
Questions about Changes
What are the letter notes for the Changes piano accompaniment?
Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is F – C – Dm – F – Bb – F – Gm – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Changes?
The loop is F – C – Dm – F – Bb – F – Gm – C (III – VII – i – III – VI – III – iv – VII) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Changes in?
D minor, at about 63 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Changes?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium 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 8 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 catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.