How to Play "Leaving On A Jet Plane" by John Denver on Guitar

In this guitar tutorial, we'll learn how to play Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver. We'll explore the chord changes, rhythm, fingerstyle, singing, and more. :)

This song is an excellent grower: you can start really simple and build it up! For beginner guitar players, it's a perfect chance to practice your progressions with G, C, and D, and advancing beginners will enjoy the fingerstyle patterns and blending them with strumming.

Let's get stuck in.

Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver: Chord Sequences

Good news: you only need three chords for this song: G, C, and D. This makes it perfect for beginners: you can use it as an exercise to practice your chord changes (and play the song as a bonus!).

The intro is D, D, D, D, and if you want to make it sound authentic, add some sus chords. You only need one progression for the rest of the song: G, C, G, C; G, C, D, D. Easy peasy!

💡 Change It Up: I demo this John Denver song with standard open chords, but you can try the Stuck 3&4 chords for a different sound. :)

Strumming Patterns

Start by working on the chord progression with simple strumming, making sure you don’t stop between chords. If you struggle with this, strum once per bar until you can change chords quickly. :) Then go to four downstrums per bar, before trying the Old Faithful pattern.

If you're into fingerstyle or want to get started, this is the perfect song to explore. Remember: when learning fingerstyle, focus on getting the pattern 100% right. Only then can you think about chord changes and singing. :)

Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver: Fingerstyle Guitar

🎸 The pattern for Leaving On A Jet Plane is beginner-friendly and in 4:4 time, but do check out my beginner fingerstyle exercises if you've never played this style before. :)

The easy way to remember this pattern is that it’s Thumb, Finger 1, Thumb, Finger 2. We go into loads of detail in the Fingerstyle Pattern chapters in the video, so check them out for all the details - and remember to master this pattern before you start switching chords.

It’s a cool idea to add sus embellishments on the D. The John Denver original has multiple overlapping layers, so it’s not clear when the sus chords land. See the chapter Dsus Chords for my suggested pattern, or make up your own!

Fingerstyle Learning Tips

It’s crucial you focus on playing this pattern right rather than playing it fast. You’re programming your muscles to move in a certain order - coding it incorrectly makes it tricky for your brain to find the right code! Write it correctly the first time, and you’ll never need to rewrite it. :)

The key to fingerstyle guitar is playing your patterns automatically. You should be able to think or talk about unrelated topics as you play. :) This is the required level, especially if you want to sing at the same time. Start nice and slow, and gradually work up to that level.

🔥 Blend Fingerstyle with Strumming: Once you have the patterns solid, try playing fingerstyle in the verses and strumming the choruses. Varying the dynamics like this makes your music more exciting for the listener!

Let’s talk about playing this with multiple guitars. :)

Multiple Guitar Parts

The best way to play Leaving On A Jet Plane with multiple guitarists is to play contrasting parts. If you both go for fingerstyle, it’ll sound wonky unless your time is absolutely perfect.

Here’s one way to mimic the original: one guitar plays fingerstyle for the whole song, while another does single strums in the verses and fuller strumming in the choruses. It sounds awesome. :)

Use the Capo to Sing Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver

In the demo, I sing the chorus down an octave. The original melody is way too high for me, but singing it down an octave also feels too low. To get around this, I go for a capo on fret 4 or 5. But that’s just my voice - find the capo position that suits your voice and go for that. :)

Even though the chords are simple, there’s loads to explore in this John Denver tune! If you’re a beginner, start real simple and work on your chords and timing. Then you can work on other strumming grooves, learn the fingerstyle pattern, mix fingerstyle with strumming, and experiment with multiple guitar parts. Enjoy!

🎵 Want chords, guitar tabs, and lyrics to follow along with my song tutorials? Check out JustinGuitar Tabs!