Learn How To Play "Mary Jane's Last Dance" On Guitar!

In this easy guitar lesson, we'll learn how to play Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on the electric guitar. If you're looking for a fun song to play on guitar, look no further! This Tom Petty 90s hit is a great pick for Grade 4+ guitar players, or if you're an eager beginner. :)

We're learning basic guitar arrangements that combine both guitar parts of the original recording. This way, you'll sound great when you play this on your own! Let's start by looking at the chords and getting to know the basics before digging a little deeper.

Easy Version And Beyond

You'll need only chords Am, F, D, and Em to play the basic version of this song. Get comfortable with the chord progression's structure by working on them in bits.

The strumming should be effortless, and if you're singing along, that's even better! There's a relationship between the lyrics and where the strumming happens, which helps make sense of the rhythm.

Beyond the basics, the next step is to listen or transcribe the original recording and pick up where there is more bass or more treble in the song. You can hear these embellishments, especially in the intro - use your ear training and listen in for the bits you like. Explore and have fun making it your own. :)

Rhythm Tips

The rhythm is likely to be the hardest for most of us, but the key is to start simple. Get a solid foundation, then begin to build in some of those mutes and ornaments there. Follow the guide to help you with the basic pattern:

Rhythm Starting Point:

D . D . D . D U D U D . D . D U

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Get professional Tabs for this song with JustinGuitar Tabs website feature!