Mary Jane's Last Dance

How to play Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty on guitar

This song is a great one to learn because it has a steady, driving feel and a memorable progression that locks in quickly once you hear it. At about 120 BPM, you can focus on keeping the groove even and confident, which makes it feel good to play from the start.

You only need a couple of open shapes, F and Dm, but most of the chart uses barre shapes like A#, A#m, G#, D#, D#m, Cm, Fm, and C#m. The main change to watch is the opening move from F to A# and then into A#m, since that shift can feel awkward until your hand gets used to it.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly - F, A#, A#m, G# - until the changes feel smooth. Then add the rest of the song in small sections, keeping your fretting hand relaxed and your strums even. Once the chord switches feel automatic, bring the tempo up little by little.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.