Waiting in Vain is everyone's favorite Bob Marley song! In this Waiting in Vain piano tutorial you will learn to play this classic on piano. Gorgeous accompaniment strategy and even a short piano solo section.
Lyrics and Chords printable for Waiting in Vain
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Waiting in Vain is the beloved song by Reggae legend Bob Marley. It was recorded and released for the 1977 album Exodus and became an instant classic. Over the years I have asked dozens of Caribbean musicians what their favorite Reggae song is and this song is almost always named.
Fun fact: Annie Lennox recorded a cover of this song for her 1995 album Medusa.
In this tutorial, we follow the usual four step protocol for learning to sing and play songs.
Step #1: Learn the chords
Step #2: Learn the groove
Step #3: Learn the bridge
Step #4: Learn the solo section
Step #5: Put it all together.
Let’s go!
Step #1: Learn the chords (see lyrics and chords on the next two pages)
For our first step, you can simply learn the chords in root position. Watch the video and I’ll take you through it.
Lyrics and Chords to Waiting in Vain
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Step #1: Learn the chords of Waiting in Vain
I have taken the liberty of notating the chord inversions I used in this tutorial. For this version, the RH will be playing the 3-5-7 while the LH plays the Root of the chord and eventually the bass line.
Notice that for the Dbma7 chord, I rearrange the notes so that the RH is playing 7-3-5. This is a common voice leading tactic.
Need to learn chord inversions? Check out this lesson.
Step #2: Right Hand Accompaniment Strategy
This is a common Reggae accompaniment strategy. You will notice from the original recording that this pattern is slightly “swung” rhythmically.
Step #3: Learn the bass line of Waiting in Vain
Version 1: Simplified
The bass line from the Bob Marley recording is much too difficult to sing and play at the same time. (Trust me - I tried!). Instead, I decided to do an abridged version that sounds very similar to the recording, but is MUCH easier to play.
Version 2: More complete bass line
This one adds a bit of embellishment at the end of each two bar phrase.
Step #4: The Bridge
Step #5: Improvised Solo
For our improvised solo, your LH will play the entire chord. (You are welcome to just play the root and 5th if it is more comfortable for you). Your RH will improvise using the notes of the Ab pentatonic scale, noted below.
Step #6: Put it all together!
Remember that you can (and should!) customize this to fit your skill level. If the chord inversions are too challenging for you, then play them all root position. If you want to level it up, try altering the groove or adding some solo fills.
Try to avoid getting stuck in the little details! The goal is for you to learn to sing and play more songs - not drown in a pool of perfectionism. Have fun - it’s only music!
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