Eric Clapton - Change The World - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords E, A9/E, Ab7, D6/E, Dbm7, Gbm7, Ebm7, A7 … Easy key G

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Capo 0

E  A9/E  D6/E  A9/E  E
E  A9/E  D6/E  A9/E  B4

E             A9/E       D6/E
  If I could reach the stars
          A9/E     E
Pull one down for you
E          A9/E   D6/E
  Shine it on my heart
              A9/E     E
So you could see the truth
A            D9/A       G6/A
  That this love I have inside
          D9/A    A
Is everything it seems

E          A9/E  D6/E
  But for now I find
          A9/E    Ab7
It's only in my dreams

          Gbm7   Ab7       Dbm7
And I can      change the world
Ebm7    Ab7             Dbm7
I'd be the sunlight in your universe
 Ebm7       Ab7
You'd think my love was really
 Dbm7  Cm7  Bm7
Someething good
 E    A7    E
Baby, if I could
  Abm7  Gm7   Gbm7
Channnnnnnnge      the world

E       A9/E     D6/E
  If I could be king
      A9/E  E
Even for a day
E              A9/E    D6/E
  I'd take you as my queen
             A9/E     E
I'd have it no other way
A          D9/A       G6/A
  And our love would rule in this
         D9/A    A
Kingdom we have made
E                A9/E  D6/E
  Till then I'd be a  fool
         A9/E    Ab7
Wishin' for the day

           Gbm7   Ab7       Dbm7
That I can      change the world
Ebm7    Ab7             Dbm7
I'd be the sunlight in your universe
 Ebm7       Ab7
You'd think my love was really
 Dbm7  Cm7  Bm7
Someething good
 E    A7    E
Baby, if I could
  Abm7  Gm7   Gbm7      E
Channnnnnnnge      the world
      A7    E
Baby, if I could
  Abm7  Gm7   Gbm7
Channnnnnnnge      the world

E  A9/E  D6/E  A9/E  E
E  A9/E  D6/E  A9/E  Ab7

           Gbm7   Ab7       Dbm7
That I can      change the world
Ebm7    Ab7             Dbm7
I'd be the sunlight in your universe
 Ebm7       Ab7
You'd think my love was really
 Dbm7  Cm7  Bm7
Someething good
 E    A7    E
Baby, if I could
   Abm7    Gm7       Gbm7
Change the     world
      A7    E
Baby, if I could
  Abm7     Gm7       Gbm7
Change the     world
      A7    E
Baby, if I could
  Abm7  Gm7    Em11/G
Channnnnnnnge         the world

E  A9/E  D6/E  A9/E  E

End of song Play again?

Eric Clapton - Change The World Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Eric Clapton – Change The World: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on E. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it both starts and finishes on E, E is heard 28 times against 9 for C#m and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#m; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	28×
i7	Em11/G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B · D · A	1×
ii7	Gbm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db · Fb	8×
biii7	Gm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · F	6×
bIII6	G6/A	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G · B · D · E	2×
iii7	Abm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	6×
V7/vi	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	12×
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	4×
IV7	A9/E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G · B	22×
IV7	A7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G	6×
V	B4	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	1×
v7	Bm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F# · A	3×
bvi7	Cm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G · Bb	3×
vi7	Dbm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	9×
bVII6	D6/E	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	D · F# · A · B	11×
bVII7	D9/A	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	D · F# · A · C · E	4×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—
vii7	Ebm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	6×

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Dbm7	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	9×
bII6	D6/E	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	D · F# · A · B	11×
bII7	D9/A	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	D · F# · A · C · E	4×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
ii7	Ebm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	6×
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	28×
iii7	Em11/G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B · D · A	1×
iv7	Gbm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	8×
#iv7	Gm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · F	6×
#IV6	G6/A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · B · D · E	2×
v7	Abm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	6×
V7	Ab7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	12×
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	4×
VI7	A9/E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G · B	22×
VI7	A7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G	6×
VII	B4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	1×
vii7	Bm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F# · A	3×
#vii7	Cm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G · Bb	3×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 17 different chords appear 132 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same Ab7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m. D6/E, D9/A, G6/A are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

A9/E D6/E EIV7 → bVII6secondary resolution C#mVI7 → bII6 ×11
Ab7 Dbm7 EV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution C#mV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×9
A9/E E EIV7 → Iplagal cadence C#mVI7 → III ×7
A7 E EIV7 → Iplagal cadence C#mVI7 → III ×6
Gbm7 Ab7 Eii7 → V7/vi C#miv7 → V7iv → V ×3
A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×2

The move to watch is A9/E → D6/E, heard 11 times. From the E side it reads IV7 → bVII6 (secondary resolution: A9/E resolves a fourth up to D6/E); from the C#m side it is VI7 → bII6. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A9/E, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab7, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Ab7 comes, swap the scale's B for B#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On D6/E, follow the chord's notes (D · F# · A · B) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones up
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening E lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are E, A9/E, Ab7, D6/E; read them as I–IV7–V7/vi–bVII6 in E or III–VI7–V7–bII6 in C#m. A9/E is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (IV7), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (VI7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A9/E → D6/E (IV7 → bVII6 in E, VI7 → bII6 in C#m): secondary resolution — A9/E resolves a fourth up to D6/E. It closes on E, letting the E side have the last word.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.