Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Wait For It on piano
By Usher
- C major
- 4/4
- 94 BPM
- 2015
- Medium
Learn Wait For It in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – Em – C
Wait For It sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIAmviEmiiiCI- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Double island pulse
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 122 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Swing push
Three chords tumble out early with a swing, then the bar breathes. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 94 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 – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
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Questions about Wait For It
What chords are in Wait For It?
The loop is C – Am – Em – C (I – vi – iii – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Wait For It in?
C major, at about 94 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Wait For It?
Double island pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Wait For It 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.