Winds of Change Chords: How to Play the Scorpions’ Classic Song on Acoustic Guitar
Winds of Change is a power ballad by the German rock band Scorpions, released in 1990 as the lead single from their 11th studio album, Crazy World. The song was written by the band’s lead vocalist Klaus Meine, who was inspired by the political changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. The song became a worldwide hit, reaching number one in several countries and becoming a symbol of hope and peace for many people.
If you want to learn how to play Winds of Change on acoustic guitar, you will need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and plucking techniques. In this article, we will show you how to play the song using the chords and tabs from Ultimate Guitar, one of the most popular online platforms for guitarists. We will also give you some tips and tricks to make your playing sound more authentic and expressive.
Chords
The song is in the key of C major and uses the following chords:
[Interlude] F Dm F Dm Am Dm* Am* G* C ! [Verse 2] (C) Dm The world is closing in C Did you ever think Dm* Am* G* C ! That we could be so close, like brothers (C) Dm The future's in the air C I can feel it everywhere Dm* Am* G* Blowing with the wind of change [Chorus] C G Dm G Take me to the magic of the moment C G On a glory night Dm G Am Where the children of tomorrow dream away F G C In the wind of change [Verse 3] C Dm Walking down the street C Distant memories Dm* Am* G* C ! Are buried in the past forever (C) Dm I follow the Moskva C Down to Gorky Park Dm* Am* G* Listening to the wind of change [Chorus] C G Dm G Take me to the magic of the moment C G On a glory night Dm G Am Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams F ! G ! With you and me C G Dm G Take me to the magic of the moment C G On a glory night Dm G Am Where the children of tomorrow dream away F ! G ! In the wind of change [Bridge] Am G The wind of change blows straight Am Into the face of time G Like a stormwind that will ring C The freedom bell for peace of mind Dm Let your balalaika sing E What my guitar wants to say [Solo] F G E Am F G Am F G E Am Dm E [Chorus] C G Dm G Take me to the magic of the moment C G On a glory night Dm G Am Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams F ! G ! With you and me C G Dm G Take me to the magic of the moment C G On a glory night Dm G Am Where the children of tomorrow dream away F ! G ! In the wind of change [Outro] F Dm F Dm Am Dm (NOTES) 1) When a chord is followed by a !, it means that you do not strum the chord but instead you play it in one quick downward motion. 2) When a chord is followed by a *, it means that the chord has to be plucked. The plucking pattern is given below. (PLUCKING PATTERN) The plucking progression for Dm, Am and G goes like this Dm Am G e|---1-----|---0-----|---------| B|-----3---|-----1---|---3-0---| G|-------2-|-------0-|-------0-| D|-0-------|---------|---------| A|---------|-0-------|---------| E|---------|---------|-3-------| Or this Dm Am G e|---------|---------|---------| B|---6-----|---5-----|---3-----| G|-----7---|-----5---|-----4---| D|-------7-|-------5-|-------5-| A|-5-------|---------|---------| E|---------|-5-------|-3-------| Whistling part arranged for guitar : e|---------------------------------| B|------0-1-----------0--1--3-1----| G|---2-------------2---------------| x2 D|---------------------------------| A|---------------------------------| E|---------------------------------| Dm, Am, G plucking begins here. | ½ ½ e|---------0--1-0---------------------------| B|---1--3-----------1-3---------------------| G|--------------------------2--4b----4br----| D|------------------------------------------| A|------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------|
You can play these chords with or without a capo, depending on your preference and vocal range. If you use a capo, you can transpose the chords accordingly. For example, if you put the capo on the second fret, you can play C as B, Dm as C#m, F as E, G as F#, Am as G#m, Am7 as G#m7, Am/F as G#m/E, E as D, and E7 as D7.
Strumming
The song has a moderate tempo of about 76 beats per minute (bpm) and uses a simple strumming pattern of downstrokes on each beat. You can also add some upstrokes in between to create more rhythm and groove. For example, you can strum C as:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D D U D U D U D U
You can apply this pattern to all the chords in the song, except for those that are followed by an exclamation mark (!) in the tabs. These chords are played with a single downstroke in a quick motion to create a percussive effect. For example, you can play F! as:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D
Plucking
The song also features some plucking parts that add more melody and texture to the song. These parts are played with your fingers or a pick on the individual strings of the chords. The plucking pattern is indicated by an asterisk (*) in the tabs. The plucking progression for Dm, Am, and G goes like this:
Dm Am G e|—1—–|—0—–|———| B|—–3—|—–1—|—3-0—| G|——-2-|——-0-|——-0-| D|-0——-|———|———| A|———|-0——-|———| E|———|———|-3——-|
Or this:
Dm Am G e|———|———|———| B|—6—–|—5—–|—3—–| G|—–7—|—–5—|—–4—| D|——-7-|——-5-|——-5-| A|-5——-|———|———| E|———|-5——-|-3——-|
You can also play the whistling part with your guitar by following these notes:
e|———————————| B|——0-1———–0–1–3-1—-| G|—2————-2—————|
x2
Dm Am G plucking begins here.
e|———0–1-0—————————| B|—1–3———–1-3———————| G|————————–2–4b—-4br—-|
Conclusion
Winds of Change is a beautiful song that you can play on acoustic guitar with some basic chords, strumming patterns, and plucking techniques. You can use the tabs from Ultimate Guitar to follow along with the song and practice your skills. You can also experiment with different capo positions, fingerings, embellishments, and dynamics to make your playing sound more personal and expressive. Remember to have fun and enjoy the music!
