Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Wave on piano
Written by Justin Timberlake, Chad Hugo & others
- D minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 2018
- Easy
Learn Wave in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – Em – Gm – Gb7
Wave sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Em is E, G and B; Gm is G, Bb and D; Gb7 is Gb, Bb, Db and Fb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiEmiiGmivGb7III7- DmD · F · A
- EmE · G · B
- GmG · Bb · D
- Gb7Gb · Bb · Db · Fb
- 2
Left hand: Gentle rocking
Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 696 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Offbeat skank
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Wave
What chords are in Wave?
The loop is Dm – Em – Gm – Gb7 (i – ii – iv – III7) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Wave in?
D minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Wave?
Gentle rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Wave easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.