Eric Clapton - Change The World - Chord

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.

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

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

Capo and easier keys

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.