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American Girl

by Tom Petty • Lesson #113 • Dec 14, 2017

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In this lesson I’ll teach you my take on American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, from their debut 1976 self-titled album. This will be an acoustic lesson, showing you how to emulate the sound of the full-band song with a solo acoustic guitar.

I’ll teach you how to imitate the intro sound, as well as chords & strumming needed for the verse and chorus sections. There’s also a breakdown riff I’ll teach which makes for a fun break before picking things back up for the ending. Best of luck, and enjoy!

Song Sheet with Lyrics 2 pages

A printed arrangement with the lyrics, chords, and other guitar parts taught in my video lesson. Available for purchase through Musicnotes.com.

Have questions? Read this help page to learn how buying & printing works, with answers to many common questions about my song sheets.

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Lesson Discussion

Mike Campbell’s Explanation of the Guitar Parts

In 2022, Mike Campbell made this gem of a video where he walks through all the guitar parts he plays on the album recording of this song. Again, I’m not always teaching these exact things in my arrangements — as I’m focused on creating an easy-to-play version for a single acoustic guitar. But just the same, check this out if you want to go a bit deeper with things!

My Fingerstyle Arrangement of American Girl

In video lesson #438 I return to this song, determined to work out a low-key, easy-going fingerpicked arrangement. The end result uses the same chord progressions I show in this video, but I’m using custom voicings for some of the chords to better suit things for fingerstyle. If you get my song sheet (linked above), I’ve included the fingerstyle tabs I use in case you’re curious to try it out!

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American Girl

Song Sheet with Lyrics 2 pages

Lesson Discussion

Mike Campbell’s Explanation of the Guitar Parts

My Fingerstyle Arrangement of American Girl

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Travis Picking Essentials

Practical Music Theory

Guitar for Beginners

Beginner Chord Guide

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Reading Music for Guitarists

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

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Key Master

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Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons