Mitski - Francis Forever

How to play Mitski - Francis Forever by Mitski on guitar

This is a great one to learn if you want a simple, emotional song that sits in a steady groove. It feels direct and intimate, and the moderate pace gives you room to focus on clean changes and even timing.

You can lean on the open shapes A, D, G, and Em, but the harder part comes from the barre shapes F#, Bm, F#m, and B. The change to watch most closely is the opening move from F# to Bm to A and back to F#, since that shift can expose any hesitation in your fretting hand.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly until each change feels automatic. Then add the rest of the open shapes in small sections, keeping your strums even, and only push the tempo up once the barre shapes feel stable and relaxed.

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.