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Michael Jackson - Thriller - Guitar Lesson

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Key C# minor
Michael Jackson - Thriller guitar lesson video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Thriller 25 Super Deluxe Edition album cover
Thriller 25 Super Deluxe Edition
2008 5:57
Listen on Spotify
Michael Jackson Pop 2008 C# minor
Capo Advisor 0 C# minor · Original key

About Thriller

Few pop tracks put the rhythm guitar under as much pressure as this one. Running at 120 BPM in C# minor on standard E tuning, the groove locks tightly to a driving pulse that never lets up, so any sloppiness in your picking hand becomes immediately obvious. The signature synth riff is the musical hook most listeners know, but on guitar your job is to sit inside the rhythm part and hold the feel without rushing. The chord shapes in C# minor are comfortable in standard tuning, yet keeping them clean at tempo while matching the staccato, percussive character of the original recording is what actually takes work. If the rhythm feel is slipping, use the Practice Toolbar to loop the tricky bar slowed down until the placement of each chord hit feels automatic. Michael Jackson built this track around relentless momentum, and matching that sense of inevitability is the real challenge for a Pop guitarist working through the arrangement.

  • The song sits at exactly 120 BPM in C# minor, which rewards using a metronome to lock in staccato chord hits before playing at full tempo.
  • Standard E tuning works throughout, so no retuning is needed, but the minor key voicings demand clean fretting to avoid muddying the dense mix.
  • The main challenge for guitar is nailing the percussive, tight rhythmic feel rather than any single difficult chord shape or lead technique.

How to Play Thriller

Tuning: E Standard · Key: C# minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 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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