Can I skip the alternate tuning?

Yes; capo 3, keep standard tuning, and use the fingerings above.

Why does the chorus feel brighter?

The bass leaps from G to C, lifting the harmonic center a perfect fourth.

How do I clean up ringing strings?

Anchor your palm lightly on the bridge while fretting; it dampens overlap.

Is finger-style acceptable?

Absolutely—pluck bass with thumb, chords with fingers for an intimate hush.

What next after I learn this?

Tackle “Certainty” to practice Travis-picking without leaving the tuning.

Change chords - Big Thief ♬ How to Play

Big Thief Chords Big Thief Lyrics

Change chords

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[Intro] G | C/G | D/A C/G | G [Verse 1] G C/G D/A C/G G Change, like the wind, like the water, like skin G C/G D/A C/G G Change, like the sky, like the leaves, like a butterfly [Chorus] G C/G Would you live forever and never die? D/A C/G G While everything around passes? G C/G Would you smile forever and never cry? D/A C/G G While everything you know passes? [Verse 2] G C/G D/A C/G G Death, like a door to a place we've never been before G C/G D/A C/G G Death, like space, the deep sea, a suitcase [Chorus] G C/G Would you stare forever at the sun D/A C/G G Never watch the moon rising? G C/G Would you walk forever in the light D/A C/G G To never learn the secrets of the quiet night? [Guitar solo / humming] G | C/G | D/A C/G | G [Verse 3] G C/G D/A C/G G Still, like a stone, like a hill, like home G C/G Still, what I find D/A C/G G Is you were always on my mind [Chorus] G C/G Could I feel happy for you D/A C/G G When I hear you talk with her like we used to? G C/G Could I set everything free D/A C/G G When I watch you holding her the way you once held me? [Verse 4] G C/G D/A C/G G Change, like the sky, like the leaves, like a butterfly G C/G D/A C/G G Death, like a door to a place we've never been before [Chorus] G C/G Would you live forever and never die D/A C/G G While everything around passes? G C/G Would you smile forever and never cry D/A C/G G [Outro] G | C/G | D/A C/G | G =====================================

How to play "Change" Chords
on acoustic guitar

Below is a full tutorial designed for brand-new players. Use it slowly, savoring every bar: this is a gentle song, not a sprint.

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Song Overview

Key: B♭ major (sounds as A♭ if you use the live E A D G B d tuning). Capo 3 in standard tuning brings you back to the record.
Difficulty: Beginner-friendly, but the droning top-string asks for tidy left-hand muting.
Tempo: 133 BPM on the album (half-time feel ≈ 66 BPM).
Time-signature: a plain 4 / 4 throughout.

Chords Used


G     3 2 0 0 0 3          (or regular 3 2 0 0 3 3 if you keep high E)  
C/G   3 3 2 0 1 0          (bass G keeps the root droning)  
D/A   5 5 4 0 3 0          (thumb over the low E helps)  
Easier swap-outs → Em (0 2 2 0 0 0) for D/A, and C (0 3 2 0 1 0) for C/G.

Strumming Pattern

A relaxed D D DU U D D DU at ≈ 66 bpm-feel.
Count it “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”, push the second up-stroke a hair late; that laid-back lilt matches Adrianne Lenker’s phrasing.

Sections Breakdown

Intro | G C/G | D/A C/G | G |
Let the ring-outs breathe; resist the urge to hurry.
Verse (same progression)
Focus on even volume; the lyric’s imagery needs space.
Chorus
G → C/G gives you the emotional lift. Pin the bass note (third fret) with your ring finger to keep transitions silent.
Solo / Humming
Strike the open second string while holding G; it mimics Buck Meek’s ghost-melody without re-tuning.
Outro
Exact mirror of intro—book-ending the “change” with, well, stasis.

Common Mistakes

Over-strumming. Lighten the pick attack; too much force kills the sway.
Muddy low-end. Palm-mute the sixth string on C/G so it doesn’t boom.
Capo buzz. Place it just behind fret-wire, especially on the third fret where tension spikes.

General Tips

Tune, then double-check after capo—plastic capos drift sharp.
If you fancy the record’s sparkling top-string, de-tune your high E down a whole-step to d, but remember to adjust shapes.
A small dash of plate-reverb and rolled-back tone (neck pickup at 4) lands you in Big Thief’s wood-paneled sound world.
Practice chord changes in silence first; lift and place fingers as one unit.

Song Facts

The single dropped 6 October 2021, two months before the sprawling double-LP “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” landed. Recorded in Topanga Canyon with Shawn Everett, the track marked a gentler turn after the gnarlier “Little Things.” It premiered the same morning the band announced a 2022 North-American tour, underscoring their return to stage life after pandemic exile.
Lenker’s lyrics conjure permanent motion—wind, water, skin—yet the music stays on three chords, a deliberate paradox. James Krivchenia’s brush-style drumming was tracked in one take, no click, capturing the communal camp-fire aura the quartet chased across five studios for the album. Fans point to the song as a thematic younger sibling of 2019’s “UFOF”: both ask if impermanence can be tender instead of bleak.

Song Meaning (part by part)

Verse 1 circles natural images—wind, water—implying that change is the unwritten law. The repeated noun acts like waves, eroding fear.
Chorus 1 poses child-like hypotheticals: eternal life without loss, joy without tears. It feels sweet until you realise the bargain removes all contrast, all color.
Verse 2 pivots to death, framing it as an equally mysterious doorway, no darker than deep sea or packed suitcase—curiosity replaces dread.
Chorus 2 flips to sun-versus-moon, light-versus-night: knowledge costs shade; wisdom needs shadow.
Verse 3 drops tempo emotionally: “Still, like a stone…” The narrator admits that beneath all flux sits an unbudging thought—love.
Final Chorus renounces jealousy by asking whether happiness for an ex-lover is possible; the open-ended cadence offers no firm answer, just strummed acceptance.
Together these movements craft a meditation: change is brutal, yes, but stasis can starve the soul.

Comparisons to Previous Works

Where 2019’s “Not” wielded distorted exclamation points, “Change” chooses acoustic question marks. The minimalist three-chord loop recalls “Mary,” yet the philosophical scope nods to Lenker’s solo cut “Anything.” Collectively, it signals Big Thief’s evolution from jagged indie-rock toward earthy Americana, batting away genre fences like they’re dragonflies.

Questions and Answers

Can I skip the alternate tuning?: Yes; capo 3, keep standard tuning, and use the fingerings above.
Why does the chorus feel brighter?: The bass leaps from G to C, lifting the harmonic center a perfect fourth.
How do I clean up ringing strings?: Anchor your palm lightly on the bridge while fretting; it dampens overlap.
Is finger-style acceptable?: Absolutely—pluck bass with thumb, chords with fingers for an intimate hush.
What next after I learn this?: Tackle “Certainty” to practice Travis-picking without leaving the tuning.

There you have it—one concise Guitar Lesson. Take the pulse slow, let the silences glow, and every little flutter of “Change” will bloom beneath your fingertips.

Big Thief CHORDS

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