Time for another awesome John Mayer hit

Let’s check out Last Train Home by John Mayer on guitar. :) I usually take a couple of years to teach hit singles, but I’ve been quick this time - it only came out yesterday!

This is a fantastic pop song. You can hear the musical heritage in it - all the way back to Toto. It’s full of triad grips and barre chords, and we’ll look at both the John Mayer guitar part and the keyboard part. :) That's a lot to get your teeth into.

This is your chance to experiment with fingerstyle, strumming, and more - all kinds of approaches sound wicked here. It works great on both electric and acoustic guitar, so experiment and see what sound you like.

Let’s check it out!

"Last Train Home" by John Mayer on Guitar

Last Train Home by John Mayer: Intro Chords & Rhythm

For the intro, we need three triad grips on strings 2-4. We’ll move these around the neck to play the various chords. Find the full chord diagrams and a slow demo in the video lesson.

💡 Know Your Fretboard: It really helps if you’re familiar with the notes on strings 2-4 and have learned your barre chords - you’ll find it way easier to move these grips around. :) If you’re yet to learn these, there’s no time like the present. ;)

The original John Mayer part only includes the triads, but we look at adding the bass notes on the beat to make it sound fuller. In a band situation, you might like to play the triads only, leaving the low notes to the bass player. The rhythm is a little tricky, and keeping the bass note on the beat is a challenge, especially when you’re singing.

John Mayer plays this sequence in the verses and choruses, but the original verse keyboard part uses different triad shapes. Let’s check it out.

Verse Chords & Rhythm Guitar

You can clearly hear the keyboard playing a different melody in the verse. With triad chords, the top note defines the melody. So we have to use different triad shapes to mimic the verse keyboard part.

👂 'Ear It: Listen to the original and see if you can figure out the A, B, and E triads needed to mimic the keyboard. ;) If that’s too tricky, don’t worry - we cover it all in detail in the video.

As for the strumming hand, you can play these triads by grabbing the strings with your thumb and fingers, or go for a pick. If you fancy the second option, it’s crucial you get the chord changes in time.

Most come on a downstrum, but you’ll need consecutive upstrums on the final E triad. This is tricky, but you should nail it with some practice - make sure you keep your hand moving while you strum. :)

Last Train Home by John Mayer: Chorus Chords & Rhythm

The chorus progression is:

A, C#m, E, A
A, C#m, F#m, |A  B |

This is awesome barre-chord practice! I play the first three bars of A with an E-shape barre chord, C#m with an Am shape, and F#m with an Em shape. Then I switch to open A in the final bar and finish on B with an A Major shape.

You can go for any 16th-note groove you like, but I found one that sounds wicked. ;)

I’m sure you’ll have tons of fun with Last Train Home. It’s an awesome song to jam with, and it’s perfect for building your knowledge of triads and barre chords. :) Laters!

🎶 Get chords, lyrics, and guitar tabs for Last Train Home and hundreds more songs at JustinGuitarTabs.