Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Sitting, Waiting, Wishing on piano
Written by Jack Johnson
- A minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2005
- Medium
Learn Sitting, Waiting, Wishing in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – G – G7 – F
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; G7 is G, B, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiGVIIG7VII7FVI- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- G7G · B · D · F
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 100 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: F – G – Am
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
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Questions about Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
What chords are in Sitting, Waiting, Wishing?
The loop is Am – G – G7 – F (i – bVII – bVII7 – bVI) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Sitting, Waiting, Wishing in?
A minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Sitting, Waiting, Wishing?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Sitting, Waiting, Wishing easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.