Song chords
Free Fallin' chords
Tom Petty
Three shapes and one four-bar loop that does not change for the length of the record. It sounds in F because of the capo, not because anybody is playing F.
Before you start
The chords you need.
3 shapes covers the whole song, fretted with the capo at fret 3. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Capo 3 with D shapes: D sounds as F, G as Bb and Asus4 as Csus4. The record uses Asus4 rather than a plain A, and that unresolved fourth is why the loop never quite settles. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 84 bpm.
Verse
4 barsOne four-bar loop; the entire song sits on it.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Chorus
4 barsThe same three chords rotated so the suspension lands second.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Need it in a different key, or without the capo? Run it through the transposer — move every chord by the same interval and the song is unchanged.
Playing it
What actually trips people up.
Nothing changes harmonically, so the strumming has to. Lift and drop your third finger on the high E through the D and the G — those small suspensions are the whole guitar part.
The chart above is the commonly played arrangement — the version a competent player would hand you, not a bar-for-bar transcription of a specific master. Section labels are there to orient you; live and studio versions repeat, extend and drop sections freely, and none of that changes which chords you need.
About this page
Chord names and song structure are facts; for lyrics and official notation, support the artist. This page carries no lyrics on purpose — Free Fallin' was written and recorded by Tom Petty, and the words belong to them. What you get here is the harmony: the key, the capo, the tempo, and which chord goes where.
Next
Songs that sit near this one.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
What key is Free Fallin' in?
Free Fallin' sounds in F Major. The common arrangement gets there with a capo at fret 3 and D Major shapes, which is why the chords written here are D Major chords rather than F Major ones.
Do I need a capo for Free Fallin'?
Yes for the standard arrangement: capo 3. Without it you would be playing F Major shapes, which needs barre chords. With the capo on, the shapes are D Major — much friendlier under the hand.
What chords are in Free Fallin'?
D, G and Asus4 — 3 chords across 2 sections. Capo 3 with D shapes: D sounds as F, G as Bb and Asus4 as Csus4. The record uses Asus4 rather than a plain A, and that unresolved fourth is why the loop never quite settles.
What is the easiest way to play Free Fallin'?
Beginner overall. Nothing changes harmonically, so the strumming has to. Lift and drop your third finger on the high E through the D and the G — those small suspensions are the whole guitar part.
How fast is Free Fallin'?
About 84 bpm. Every section on this page plays back at that tempo, so you can hear how long each chord is meant to be held before you try it yourself.
Can I play Free Fallin' in a different key?
Yes — the progression is the song, not the letters. Move every chord by the same number of semitones and it still works. The transposer will do the arithmetic, or you can move the capo and keep these shapes.