1 lesson published
July 1, 2026
A Change Is Gonna Come
Key / tonal center: B-flat major in the original recording. The major key is crucial: this is not a minor-key complaint. It is hope sung through pain. Time signature / feel: Best felt as slow 12/8: four large beats, each subdivided into triplets. That gives the song a swaying, processional gravity, like a hymn walking uphill. Tempo: Slow soul ballad territory. Some teaching resources count the subdivisions faster, but the felt tempo is broad and patient.