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Michael Jackson - Billie Jean - Guitar Lesson

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Key F# minor
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Bass6
Mid7
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Master7
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Thriller album cover
Thriller
1982 4:54
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Michael Jackson Pop 1982 F# minor
Capo Advisor 0 F# minor · Original key

About Billie Jean

Few pop songs are as deceptively tricky to nail on guitar as "Billie Jean." The track's spine is a repeating, hypnotic bass-and-rhythm pattern that sits right in the pocket at 117 BPM, and recreating that locked-in groove on guitar demands tight right-hand control and careful attention to dynamics. Playing in F# minor in standard E tuning, you will want to keep your chord voicings clean and your muted strums precise so the rhythmic tension that drives the whole song stays intact. The chromatic inner lines that weave through the harmony are where most players slip up, so isolate those moments with the Practice Toolbar, looping them slowed down until the fingering feels automatic. Michael Jackson built this track around a relentless rhythmic feel, and matching that feel rather than just the notes is the real challenge. If you play Pop regularly, the discipline this song builds around groove and economy will sharpen everything else in your repertoire.

  • The rhythm guitar part relies on tight, percussive muted strumming to lock in with the bass, making right-hand consistency the top priority.
  • At 117 BPM in F# minor, the groove sits at a moderate tempo that exposes any timing inconsistency, so use a metronome when practising.
  • The song is in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but clean fretting in the upper positions is essential for the chord stabs.

How to Play Billie Jean

Tuning: E Standard · Key: F# minor · Tempo: 117 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 117 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Slash wielded a '59 Les Paul replica on 'Give In To Me,' delivering that warm-yet-cutting midrange essential to MJ's hardrock guitar moments. The guitar's thick body resonance pairs perfectly with Marshall stack overdrive for Michael Jackson's most aggressive rock tracks.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul's humbucker firepower cuts through MJ's dense pop production with natural tube saturation and sustain. This guitar provides the weighted tone needed for Slash's solos and rhythm work across the Thriller-era rock-influenced catalog.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Slash cranked a Marshall JCM800 2203 head to achieve natural tube overdrive on 'Give In To Me,' delivering the aggressive rock punch that defines Michael Jackson's harder-edged guitar moments. The amp's responsive gain structure lets the Les Paul's humbuckers shine through dense production.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Eddie Van Halen's modified Marshall Super Lead (variac'd for sag and compression) powered the legendary 'Beat It' solo, creating that compressed, singing lead tone perfect for tapping techniques. The Plexi's harmonic richness made the single humbucker's output cut through MJ's production.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

The Fender Twin Reverb's clean headroom and natural reverb capture the glassy, percussive rhythm tones on tracks like 'Billie Jean' and 'Rock With You.' This amp provides the transparent platform that lets funky single-coil snap and light chorus effects define Michael Jackson's pop-soul foundation.

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro
Pickup

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro

Slash's Les Paul uses Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups, delivering warm-yet-cutting midrange that sits perfectly in MJ's pop arrangements while maintaining rock credibility. The pickup's balanced output ensures clarity and sustain whether driving Marshall heads or cutting through dense studio mixes.

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