Tom Sawyer

How to play Tom Sawyer by Rush on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 2 you play D, A#, C, G, Dm, F and more, the shapes the player above shows.

Tom Sawyer is a great song to learn if you want a tight, driving feel with a steady pulse. It sits in a strong rock groove, so when you lock in the changes it feels energetic and controlled. At about 120 BPM, it rewards clean timing more than speed.

You can stay mostly with open shapes like E, C, D, A, Em, and G, which makes the part feel accessible at first. The harder shapes are Bm, B, and F#, so watch for any move into those and make sure your fretting hand stays relaxed. The opening change E - C - E - D is the one to get smooth first.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly, then add the rest of the song in small sections. Once your changes are clean, raise the tempo a little at a time until you can keep the groove steady. Focus on even transitions and let the rhythm stay consistent before pushing for full speed.

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.