Rush - Tom Sawyer

How to play Rush - Tom Sawyer by Rush on guitar

Tom Sawyer is a great song to learn because the riff feels steady and driving, so you get a strong groove without needing a lot of complicated chord movement. It has a punchy, confident feel that makes it fun to lock in and repeat.

You can lean on the open shapes E, G, C, D, A, and Em for most of the part, while B and F# are the harder barre shapes to save for when you are ready. The main change to watch is the opening back-and-forth between E and G, since that quick switch sets the feel and can expose sloppy fretting.

Start by looping E - G - E - G slowly until the changes feel clean, then add the rest of the shapes one at a time. Once your fingers know the moves, practice with a steady count and bring it up to tempo in small steps.

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.