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Top 10 Best Tom Petty Guitar Songs

By Klaus Crow 4 Comments

Top 10 Best Tom Petty Guitar Songs

Hi Folks, as a guitar student and musician you need to learn your Tom Petty songs and for a good reason!

Tom was a great American singer-songwriter who left an indelible mark on the world of rock music.

With his distinctive raspy voice and catchy songwriting, he became known for his ability to blend elements of rock, folk, and Americana, creating a unique and timeless sound.

In 1976, he gained widespread recognition with his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and later as a solo artist creating the iconic album “Full moon fever” produced by Jeff Lynne, and went on to release a string of great albums and hits.

Tragically, Tom passed away on October 2, 2017, leaving behind a profound influence on generations of musicians.

Luckily his songs are left for us to play, to study, to practice and enjoy. Tom Petty’s songs are a really good source to develop all the different skills you need as a guitar player from common chords and progressions, embellishments, catchy riffs, licks, and great song writing.

In this carefully curated list, you can find the cream of the crop from Petty’s extensive catalog, from the infectious hooks of “Free Fallin'” to the anthemic power of “American girl,” each song offers a unique opportunity to dive deep into Petty’s signature guitar style.

So grab your favorite six-string, make yourself some good coffee and let’s explore the magic of Tom Petty’s guitar-driven classics. Each title contains a link to Youtube and a link to the chords / Tabs and lyrics for the song.

Enjoy your practice and have a great one!

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1 – “Free Fallin’

“Free Fallin’ was written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne for the album “Full moon fever” and was released in 1989. The song was recorded in just two days and used a multitude of acoustic guitar to create that incredible dreamy sound. 

It’s a nostalgic song about personal freedom and embracing life’s journey. It encourages you to let go and enjoy the ride, capturing the essence of self-discovery and adventure.

The song is in the key of F major and can be played as a beginner-friendly version by playing it with the capo on the 3rd fret following the chords D – G – D – A (sus4) throughout the entire song.

Free falling chords

2 – “I Won’t Back Down”

This song is an empowering anthem, released in 1989, and embodies resilience and determination. It’s a reminder to stay true to yourself and stand strong in the face of adversity.

With basic open chords like Em , D, G and C “I Won’t Back Down” is approachable for beginner guitarists. The song follows a verse-chorus structure, making it easy to learn and perform.

I won’t back down chords

3 – “American Girl”

“American Girl” is a classic rock song that captures the spirit of youthful rebellion and American dreams. The songs was released for their self-titled debut album in 1976 and tells the story of a young woman’s experiences and embodies the essence of rock ‘n’ roll energy.

The progression incorporates basic open chords like D, E7, G, and A. The song follows a verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure, giving you the chance to practice chord progressions and transitions. The melody and rhythm allows for energetic strumming.

American girl chords + TABS

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How to Create Good Guitar Habits That Work

By Klaus Crow 5 Comments

How to Create Good Guitar Habits that Work

You want to read this post.

So, what new guitar challenge(s) are you going to commit to in the year ahead? What fresh guitar routine are you going to follow and what are you going to do to make it really work and last?

Creating good solid guitar habits is a challenge in itself. First of all, you have to ask yourself the important questions and providing them with hard and truthful answers in writing:

  • Do you really want to become a better guitar player or is it just a nice idea?
  • WHY do you want to become a better guitar player? Two good reasons please!
  • Do you want to put in the work to become a better guitar player? or just really not?

Once you’ve answered these questions you want to ask the follow up questions:

  • What is it that you want to get good or better at?
  • What gives you the most satisfaction and reward?
  • What could you really do to become a better guitar player?
  • How could you create a habit that works and sticks?

With the last question I can help you with. Read on!

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Reach Your Guitar Goals Effortlessly!

By Klaus Crow 3 Comments

Where do You Start?

Guitar playing is all about reaching a goal. You can be simply playing for fun or want to be an accomplished guitar player, there is always a goal to achieve. You want to learn something new.

Now, maybe you are reading this as a novice guitar player, an intermediate or advanced guitar player. Perhaps you’re looking for new answers as a long time player who is stuck and misses the fun, excitement and growth of the early days, it all good.

Follow the guidelines below and you will reach your guitar goals from any stage in your playing gracefully.

There are 21 keys to make this happen. Read and answer them thoroughly and you will walk the smooth and easy path, break out of the slump, regain the spark and magic of practice and accomplish all your guitar goals effortlessly.

Yes effortlessly, as long as you follow the rules :)

Have fun!

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How to Record a Song at Home

By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

Have you always wanted to record you own songs? Do you want to record a cover song from your favorite artist? Well this might be the time for you to take your song from the guitar onto the recording tracks and bring it to life so you can share your creativity with the world.

Recording songs is a beautiful and inspiring part of being a musician. There is so much to learn from it and it’s such an enjoyable and fulfilling process. You are now able to sit in the producer’s chair and share your music with just one click away. How great is that?

Do you first need help writing a song check out Why and How to Write Songs on Guitar – Complete Guide!

Prepare

Before you start recording your song make sure you can play (and sing) your song from start to finish. Practice your song as much as you can, so you are ready when you hit that record button.

It’s not necessary to have every detail of the song figured out yet, but the more prepared you are, the easier the recording process will be.

You can also practice your song with a metronome beforehand so when it’s time to record you are used to the feel of a click track (more on that later). A good practice of the song also makes the edit process much easier.

Equipment

To record your song you need to have a couple of things:

  • A fast computer/laptop
  • Audio interface
  • DAW
  • Microphone
  • Popfilter
  • Studio monitors

Microphones can range from $100 dollars to thousands of dollars, but with today’s budget microphones you can get really good high quality recordings.

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