Learn to Play "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty on the Guitar

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Free Fallin' by the late, great Tom Petty on the guitar. This classic tune is lovely to play and offers a fantastic opportunity to develop your chord progression skills.

Free Fallin' is a tune that I should have covered years ago! While you can simplify the chords a bit, I'm going to explain the way it's played on the record. There's a lot of guitar layering going on in this song, but we'll focus on the open chord version using a capo at the third fret. This works really nicely, and I think you'll enjoy it!

Chord Progression

Let's dive a bit into the chord progression. We'll start with a regular D chord, followed by a kind of Gsus2 or Gadd9. The important thing is to keep the first and third fingers down as you transition between these chords.

Then we transition back to D and move to an Asus4. Normally, you might think of playing an Asus4 with a different finger arrangement, but in this case, it makes sense to leave the first finger down and move the second finger. It's a bit like playing a chord you might have learned in my beginner's course. That means the first and third fingers are rooted there the whole time, which gives you a nice, solid base to work from.

Chords CAPO 3

D TAB: xx0232
Gsus2 TAB: 3x0233
Asus4 TAB: x02230

Before you start working on the rhythm, make sure you've got these chord changes down. They need to be nice and smooth, especially for this kind of tune where the chords ring out for a long time.

Interestingly, Tom Petty plays this song slightly differently. He places the capo on the first fret, and the chords he uses are E, Asus2, and a B power chord. This version of the song also sounds great and adds a fun variation to the original chord progression.

Chords CAPO 1

E TAB: 022100
Asus2 TAB: x02200
Bsus4 TAB: x24400

Rhythm and Strumming

The rhythm of this song is what gives it its unique personality. The chords change at specific points in the rhythm, creating a pattern that repeats throughout the song. The song's intro gives a nice outline of the rhythm and where the chords change. As the song progresses, we're just increasing the number of strums, but the chords change in the same place. The first chord change happens on beat one, which is our D chord. The G chord comes in next, followed by a return to the D, and finally, the Asus4.

Starting out, you might want to just strum where the chords change. As you get more comfortable, try to keep your hand moving consistently, even when you're not strumming. This is a key trick for this kind of rhythm and will help you add in other strums as you progress.

Creating Dynamics

Creating dynamics in your playing is key to keeping the song interesting. This can be achieved by changing the rhythm pattern throughout the song. For example, you can keep the rhythm simple during the verses and then add more strums during the chorus to create a sense of build-up and excitement. Remember, it's all about creating a musical journey for those listening!

Rhythm Simple:

D . . . . . D . . . . . . . . . . D . D . . . D . . . . . . . . .
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a | 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Rhythm Harder:

D . . U . . D . . . . . D . D U . D . D . . . D . . U D . D . D U
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a | 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Wrapping Up

That's it for this lesson on Free Fallin' by Tom Petty. It's a great song to play, and I'm sure you'll enjoy learning it. Remember to take your time, practice your chord changes, and work on keeping your rhythm hand moving consistently.

Don't forget to check out the video where you can see these techniques in action and follow along as I play. It's a great way to get a feel for how everything fits together. Happy playing!

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