Keen for some acoustic rock? "Waiting On A War" by Foo Fighters is a must-play!

Waiting On A War is one of my favorite Foo Fighters songs, and playing it on guitar is lotsa fun. When I was younger, I was always waiting on a war - and I'm sure many of my generation have the same memories. Unfortunately that was the reality back then, and sometimes it still feels the same.

This is a great tune for practicing your barre chords - you'll need them to play like the Foo Fighters did. If you've just started your guitar journey, barre chords can be really tricky, and I suggest you don't overpractice them.

If you're comfortable playing your F Chord, you can give this song a try by checking out the chord diagrams and the guitar tricks I give you here. But if you haven't nailed F yet, check out this Ultimate Guide To Easy Barre Chords then come back. :)

HOW TO PLAY WAITING ON A WAR BY FOO FIGHTERS ON GUITAR

Intro and Verses

The intro and verses are pretty simple to play. Here's the progression:

D, D, A7sus4, A7sus4
Em7, Em7, G, G.

We leave our 3rd and 4th fingers on the thinnest strings at fret 3 for all the chords except A7sus4. You'll be familiar with these if you're following my Beginner Guitar Course - they're what I call Stuck 3&4 chords. The strumming is interesting - we’ll look at it further down. :)

Waiting On A War by Foo Fighters: Pre-Chorus

The pre-chorus sequence is

Em7, G, D, A7sus4
Em7, G, Cadd9, Cadd9
Cadd9, Cadd9.

Cadd9 is also a Stuck 3&4 chord, and you should have no problem with it if you’ve nailed the other ones.

Waiting On A War: How to Play the Chorus

The sequence for the Waiting On A War chorus is:

D, Bb, F, C
D, Bb, F, G.

In this context, it's best to play Bb as an A-shape barre chord. You can use the standard version with fingers 1 and 3, or my unusual version with 1 and 4.

If that’s too tricky, the E-shape chord is option number 2. If you go for this one, fret the bass note with finger 1, and mute strings 1 and 2 to make D (at fret 7 of string 3) the top note. This is part of the previous D chord, meaning the change to Bb is smoother. If the barre chords are too tricky, try Bb Power Chord.

🚨 Chorus Three: Careful with chorus three - the progression changes! We play two reps of D, Bb, G, G.

Learn the Authentic Strumming Pattern

For the intro and verses of Waiting On A War, you’ll need a rhythm pattern that’s pretty similar to Old Faithful but lasts two bars. Here's how the strumming pattern should sound:

1+2+3+4+1+2+3+4+
D DU UDU UDU UDU

Pay attention here - it’s easy to slip into Old Faithful and miss the variation in the second bar! For the rest of the song, we use Old Faithful.

The best way to learn a new strumming pattern is by playing it along with the original recording with muted strings. When you feel comfortable with it, try adding the chords! Don't rush - make sure you get the basics down so you don't struggle later on. Check out these 11 Strumming Tips to learn this pattern perfectly.

🧐 Have you automated the pattern? The ultimate test is whether you can distract yourself while you play the rhythm. If you can, it means you’ve automated the pattern and are ready to sing.

Listen To Original Recording and Jam

It’s super important you play along with the Foo Fighters recording once you’ve learned the sequences - you’ll absorb lots of bits that you can’t learn otherwise. This is how all the guitar greats learned back in the day. They’d learn the chords and riffs by listening to the recording, finding the notes on the guitar, then jamming with the original to make sure they got it right. Not a bad model to follow!

Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters founder and former Nirvana drummer, is one of the most influential musicians in rock ‘n roll. You’d do well to jam with him in the original and suck in that feel. :) Try to get your strumming exactly in time with the band.

🚨 Ready for more? Learn all the big Foo Fighters hits on guitar.