8 distinct chords · 37 changes · 3:21 long
Chord timeline
Chords in this song
- C♯m
- F♯
- E
- C♯
- F
- D
- A
- D♯
What you are playing
Chords for Thriller (Official Video - Shortened), laid out across its 3:21 exactly where they fall. Most of it sits in C♯ minor. It leans on barre chords — with a capo on fret 2 the same song becomes Bm E D B D♯ C G C♯, which sits easier under the hand. Every one of its 8 chords is a plain triad, so three notes under the right hand covers the whole song.
Play it in another key
The same song, moved. Every row is Thriller (Official Video - Shortened) shifted by that many semitones — useful when the recording sits too high or too low for your voice. The chords keep their relationships, so the song is unchanged apart from its pitch.
| Shift | Key | Chords |
|---|---|---|
| G♯ minor | G♯mC♯BG♯CAEA♯ | |
| A minor | AmDCAC♯A♯FB | |
| A♯ minor | A♯mD♯C♯A♯DBF♯C | |
| B minor | BmEDBD♯CGC♯ | |
| C minor | CmFD♯CEC♯G♯D | |
| C♯ minor | C♯mF♯EC♯FDAD♯ | |
| D minor | DmGFDF♯D♯A♯E | |
| D♯ minor | D♯mG♯F♯D♯GEBF | |
| E minor | EmAGEG♯FCF♯ | |
| F minor | FmA♯G♯FAF♯C♯G | |
| F♯ minor | F♯mBAF♯A♯GDG♯ | |
| G minor | GmCA♯GBG♯D♯A |
On a guitar there is a shortcut in one direction: transpose down by n and put a capo on fret n, and you are back at the original pitch while playing the easier shapes. That is what the capo line above is doing.
