Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Wait on piano
By The Beatles
- F# minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Learn Wait in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m7 – B – Bm – F#m – C#7 – F#m – F#m7 – B
Wait sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: F#m7 is F#, A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#; Bm is B, D and F#; F#m is F#, A and C#; C#7 is C#, E#, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#m7i7BIVBmivF#miC#7V7F#miF#m7i7BIV- F#m7F# · A · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- BmB · D · F#
- F#mF# · A · C#
- C#7C# · E# · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Racing heartbeat
One calm beat, then non-stop quick notes racing to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 431 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: D – E – F#m
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
Play next
Questions about Wait
What chords are in Wait?
The loop is F#m7 – B – Bm – F#m – C#7 – F#m – F#m7 – B (i7 – IV – iv – i – V7 – i – i7 – IV) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is Wait in?
F# minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Wait?
Racing heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Wait easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Wait?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.