Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Tom Petty - Mary Jane's Last Dance - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key A minor
Tom Petty - Mary Jane's Last Dance guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 235Kviews
Creator Page →
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Listen on Spotify
Tom Petty Classic Rock A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About Mary Jane's Last Dance

That opening riff is the whole lesson. Built on a repeating A minor figure, it sits in a mid-tempo groove at 120 BPM that feels deceptively simple until you try to lock in the exact feel. The riff lives in E Standard tuning and relies on clean, deliberate picking with just enough weight behind each note to carry the hypnotic quality Tom Petty was known for. Getting the tone right matters here: a slightly dark, clean-to-slightly-broken-up sound keeps it in the right mood. The chord work through the verse is straightforward open and barre shapes in A minor, but the timing and the space between notes is where students usually need the most work. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the intro riff slowed down until your picking hand is landing every note with the same weight. Once the feel is there, the rest of the song falls into place quickly. This is a great piece for developing groove and restraint in Classic Rock playing.

  • The signature intro riff is built around an A minor chord shape and uses deliberate, evenly weighted picking, making right-hand consistency the main technical focus.
  • E Standard tuning and a clean or lightly driven tone are all you need to nail the guitar part on this track.
  • The 120 BPM tempo sits in a steady mid-tempo groove, so practising with a metronome early on will help you lock in the hypnotic, behind-the-beat feel.

How to Play Mary Jane's Last Dance

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Mike Campbell uses the Stratocaster for its versatile single-coil tones, delivering the jangly chime and smooth lead work central to Heartbreakers songs. Its bright character complements his minimalist effects approach, letting natural tone shine through.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Tom Petty's blonde Telecaster became iconic for its raw, twangy bite and natural attack on rhythm parts. Campbell's 1950 Broadcaster (proto-Telecaster) uses its original single-coil for that signature edge-of-breakup crunch heard across classic Heartbreakers tracks.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Mike Campbell's 1959 Les Paul Standard with PAF humbuckers delivers warm, fat lead tones with smooth sustain for solos. Its thicker voice contrasts beautifully with his single-coil guitars, giving the band tonal variety across different songs and moods.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not specifically documented in Campbell's main arsenal, the Les Paul Custom shares the humbucker warmth and sustain that defines the band's heavier lead tones. Its darker character works similarly to the 1959 Standard for creating fuller, more aggressive solos.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

The Twin Reverb's clean, sparkling reverb tone provides the crystalline foundation for Petty's rhythm work and ballads. Running at moderate volume, it delivers natural tube compression while preserving the bright attack of his Rickenbackers and Telecasters.

Fender Deluxe Reverb
Amp

Fender Deluxe Reverb

Campbell relies on the Deluxe Reverb for its sweet, responsive reverb and manageable wattage that breaks up naturally at performance levels. Its warm, slightly compressed tone pairs perfectly with both single-coils and humbuckers across the Heartbreakers' catalog.

Recommended for You