Mary Jane's Last Dance Guitar Lesson (Tom Petty)

👉Discover the 5 MUST-KNOW chords and scales to play in ANY style anywhere on the neck FREE PDF GUIDE→ www.jonmaclennan.com/fretboar...
“She grew up in an Indiana town
Had a good lookin' mama who never was around
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night…”
It’s lyrics like these that showcase Tom Petty’s brilliant ability to craft a story that grabs a hold of you.
And often overlooked, is how powerful his band and his right-hand man guitarist Mike Campbell were.
Mike’s guitar playing propelled many of the Heartbreaker’s most lasting hits. And in this post, we’ll take a look at a few of his guitar stylings and how this was all made happen.
So grab your guitar, tune up, and let’s dive into this “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” guitar lesson.
Who wrote Mary Jane's Last Dance?
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" was written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. First released as a single in 1993, then it was later included on the band's Greatest Hits album.
Tom Petty was a brilliant songwriter and a master storyteller. And this song is just one of many that showcase this. The Heartbreakers blended rock, folk, and blues influences. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” features these elements along with Petty's distinctive vocals and the band's classic rock sound.
Petty described the song as one that came to him quickly and easily. It was produced by Rick Rubin, Tom Petty, and guitarist Mike Campbell. It didn't win major awards, but it has received significant airplay and remains one of Tom Petty's most iconic songs.
What key is Mary Jane's Last Dance played in?
“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” as recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is in the key of A minor. There are just two parts, however, during the chorus section, the song goes to the parallel major. It changes from A minor to A major in the chorus - then back for the verse. However, the final key would be A minor.
Mary Jane's Last Dance Guitar Chords
To play “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” you’ll only need to know 6 chords Am, G, D, Am7, Em, and A...
👉Follow along with the FULL lesson here: www.jonmaclennan.com/blog/mar...

[@jonmaclennan]

►►Discover the 5 MUST-KNOW chords and scales to play in ANY style anywhere on the neck FREE PDF GUIDE → www.jonmaclennan.com/fretboardguide

[@waynetozer3881]

Cool 😎 I really like Mike Campbells guitar playing in the Tom Petty band.

[@richzuker9295]

Jon Great one. You are an extremely good player. Always very impressive. You make tough stuff accessible.

[@mikeopdenaker5573]

Once again,fantastic!

[@ssmedz4335]

Well done John

[@charlesgrandt9012]

Nice lesson! More Petty would be cool! Maybe something from Highway Companion album, kind of an underrated one of his. Thanks again for the daily lesson!

[@me.roderick]

Mike Cambell has the most politically correct solos around. There is actually the history of American cannibus in the story. Great job man and thank you Sir!💪🎸

[@paulcwalina7910]

Best teaching approach on the Internet. Congrats. Would love to learn to play some Jim Croce, specifically "Operator," "I Got A Name," and "Working at the Car Wash Blues."

[@oldrrocr]

Thanks for this! Recommended for any beginner who wants to get to the intermediate level quickly! (learn a lot of Campbell techniques)

[@buckbloomfield5419]

Yes and more petty ❤

[@jeanlucdecoster]

Sounds great man! Can you do a tutorial on all parts of sweet hole alabama?

[@dr123hall]

Yes great lesson! Mike Campbell solo and playing is very akin to the great Steve Cropper.

[@erolgermannemmanuel5637]

🦢 Wow Jon; What a song; It is almost a Sundance like vibe ... U asked what is the number One struggle I have on guitar now; It's my rythm, I even learned three Patterns of the Travis picking technique but I still tend to loose the timing during Rock strumming, unless I can rely on pick up notes or somekind of a run between chords, to keep my timing in check. Best thanks & regards .

[@chadhines3486]

Hey Jon, I agree with the others… great lesson and more Petty! Also… Could you do a lesson on Delbert McClinton’s, B-Movie Boxcar Blues? Thanks for your time and consideration. Overall, great videos and instruction!

[@ordinalkirk]

Yes! Been thinking about that song alot. I like the Blues Brothers version of it. Some fantastic licks by Steve Cropper (I think).

[@ldhorricks]

This song as recorded is not in A440 so if you want to play along with it you need to change the pitch to 453hz if you want enjoy playing along.

[@derricklester9210]

Recorded in 1993 it's a classic

[@mcgehejs]

I believe the D is actually a Dsus2 which is hammered on to a D. Not a D hammering on to Dsus4.

[@stacysdad5071]

Thanks John My number 1 struggle is to play sus chords because I tend to mute strings that should not be muted.....

[@rickmccl71]

came to see if I was missing anything, want to add that instead of hammering all of the Am on open strings, try playing Asus2 and hammering just the index finger to make Am

[@mcgehejs]

In the intro he hammers on the D and G strings on the first Am-G-D run, but hammers on the B in the second run. It’s all good though, as he changes it up throughout the verses. The D is actually a Dsus2 hammered on to a D, then pulled off back to a Dsus2. (This is my big beef with this tutorial, as the Dsus2 hammer onto a D sounds much better.)

[@buckbloomfield5419]

Comment is yer great and im lazy and should kick myself in the ass more 😅😂