Thriller | TAB
The intro, which is played by the keyboard player, is based around a C#m chord. It has one note moving up from the Root – 2nd – m3rd – 4 – b5. This is then followed by the two-bar chorus chords that outline the melody.
The rhythm of this intro is played using three 8th notes in a row, only changed at the end of every two bars. In TAB, the entire intro looks like this on guitar:
This intro is followed by 8 bars of the bass riff, if you want to play during this time, play in unison with the bass. The verse that follows starts with just the same bass riff, only halfway through does the guitar riff appear.
Here are Thriller’s bass and guitar riffs in TAB.
Thriller TAB | Related Pages
Thriller | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn to play Thriller by Michael Jackson using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C#m (bass riff) | C#m (bass riff) |
It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Michael Jackson tunes
The King of Pop became world-famous before he was even a teenager as he signed to Motown with his brothers as The Jackson 5.
After many hits, Michael Jackson embarked on a crazy solo career that would see him become as big as Elvis and The Beatles.
Michael Jackson on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm features TAB and covers Thriller. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.