Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Waiting For A Train on piano
By Flash And The Pan
- C major
- 4/4
- 132 BPM
- vi–II7–vi–II7 loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Waiting For A Train in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – D7 – Am – D7
How it goes
Waiting For A Train sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviD7II7AmviD7II7- AmA · C · E
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 132 BPM
How it goes
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
How it goes
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
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Waiting For A Train
What chords are in Waiting For A Train?
The loop is Am – D7 – Am – D7 (vi – II7 – vi – II7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Waiting For A Train in?
C major, at about 132 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Waiting For A Train?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Waiting For A Train 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.