Tame Impala - Yes I'm Changing - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, F, Fm, Cadd9, Cmaj7, Am, G Easy key A (capo 3)

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Capo 0

Cadd9
I was raging, it was late
Cmaj7                  C
In the world my demons cultivate
Am                                             C
I felt the strangest emotion but it wasnt hate, for once

C                 Cadd9
Yes Im changing, yes I'm gone
Cmaj7                 C
Yes Im older, yes I'm moving on
          Am                                                C
And if you dont think it's a crime you can come along, with me

C               Cadd9
Life is moving, can't you see
Cmaj7                      C
There's no future left for you and me
      Am
I was holding and I was searching endlessly
    C                 G                       C
But baby, now theres nothing left that I can do so
Cadd9       Cmaj7   C
So don't be blue
         Am                               C
There is another future waiting there for you

C                   Cadd9
I saw it different, I must admit
Cmaj7                         C
I caught a glimpse, I'm going after it
         Am                                            C
They say people never change, but thats bullshit, they do

C                 Cadd9
Yes Im changing, cant stop it now
Cmaj7                       C
And even if I wanted I wouldnt know how
        Am                                    C
Another version of myself I think I found, at last

C                  Cadd9
And I cant always hide away
Cmaj7                   C
Curse indulgence and despise the fame
          Am
Theres a world out there and its calling my name
         C              G
And its calling yours, girl its calling yours too

C   F       Fm
Its calling yours too, 
C   F       Fm
its calling yours too,
C   F       Fm
its calling yours too
C   F       Fm
Its calling out for you

C  F  Fm


C F       Fm         C
Arise and walk, come through
F         Fm         C
Someone beyond that door
   F       Fm      C
is calling out for you
 F        Fm         C
Arise and walk, come through
    F       Fm      C
Its calling out for you
  F       Fm         C
Arise and walk, come through
F         Fm        C
Someone beyond that door
F          Fm      C
is calling out for you

End of song Play again?

Tame Impala - Yes I'm Changing Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Tame Impala – Yes I'm Changing: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Cadd9 and ends on C. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it both starts and finishes on C and C is heard 48 times against 7 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	34×
I	Cadd9	Tonic — home	C · E · G · D	7×
Imaj7	Cmaj7	Tonic — home	C · E · G · B	7×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	13×
iv	Fm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	F · Ab · C	13×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	2×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	7×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	7×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	34×
III	Cadd9	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G · D	7×
IIImaj7	Cmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G · B	7×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	13×
vi	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	13×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	2×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 7 different chords appear 83 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Fm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Fm C Civ → Iminor plagal Amvi → III ×13
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2

The move to watch is Fm → C, heard 13 times. From the C side it reads iv → I (minor plagal: a bittersweet arrival with a borrowed iv); from the Am side it is vi → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Fm, follow the chord's notes (F · Ab · C) 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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Cadd9, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. C, F, Fm, Cadd9 carry the song: I–IV–iv–I relative to C, III–VI–vi–III relative to Am. Fm briefly darkens the picture: minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minor. Keep an ear on Fm → C (iv → I in C, vi → III in Am): minor plagal — a bittersweet arrival with a borrowed iv. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in C.

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.