Dock of the Bay is the classic summer anthem by Soul legend Otis Redding. In this sing and play piano tutorial, you'll learn the authentic arrangement of this song. Sound like Otis Redding with my insider tips and tricks!

Lyrics and Chords printable for Dock of the Bay

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Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay is a classic song written and recorded by soul legend Otis Redding. It was recorded in 1967 just three days before his death in a plane crash on December 10th, 1967. It was released on Stax Records in 1968 and became one of his biggest hits. The song was co-written by Steve Cropper, who was guitarist for Booker T. & the M.Gs.

In this Dock of the Bay piano tutorial, we follow the usual four step protocol for learning to sing and play songs.

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 intro

Step #4: Fully realized accompaniment

Step #5: Put it all together.

Step #1: Learn the chords to Dock of the Bay

Lyrics and chords to Dock of the Bay

Need to learn chords?

Chord voicing strategy

Step #2: Dock of the Bay Accompaniment Strategy

Here is a breakdown of the accompaniment strategy for Dock of the Bay. I use my typical Piano Skills for Singers to break it down for you!

Step #3: Learn the intro to Dock of the Bay

As I show you in the video, Elton John likes to play a lot of different fills. He also likes to do a lot of “chord pounding”. His fills consist of arpeggios of the chords, which you can experiment with. As for chord pounding, you can experiment with repeating the chords using a variety of rhythms. Do some listening to Elton to get some ideas!

Step #4: Fully Realized Accompaniment

You can then add the bass line from the recording (notated below) to fill out the arrangement.

Step #5: 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!

Black background with a photo of Brenda Earle Stokes singing into a microphone sitting at a keyboard. Turquoise lettering reads "Let's Learn Songs"

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