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Michael Jackson - Thriller Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, D, E, C, Em, Dm, F, Am7, G, Gm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
  • Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-0Ukulele Am7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele Gm chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-1Ukulele Gm chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am] [D] [E] [Am] [C] [C] [D] [Am]
[Am] [D] [Am] [D]
It’s close to [Am]midnight, and something evil’s, lurking in the [D]dark.
Under the [Am]moonlight, you see a sight, that almost stops your heart.
You try to [D]scream, but terror takes the sound, before [Am]you make it.
You start to [D]freeze, as horror looks you right between [Am]the eyes;
You’re [Em]paralyzed.

[section 2]
‘Cause this is; [Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
And [D]no one’s gonna save you from [Dm]the beast about to strike.
You know it’s; [Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
You’re [D]fighting for your life, inside [F]a [D]killer, Thriller, [Am7]tonight.

[section 3]
You hear the [Am]door slam, and realise there’s nowhere left to [D]run.
You feel the [Am]cold hand, and wonder if you’ll ever see the sun.
You close your [D]eyes, and hope that this is just [Am]imagination.
But all the [D]while, you hear the creature creeping up [Am]behind;
You’re out of [Em]time.

[section 4]
‘Cause this is; [Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
There [D]ain’t no second chance to kill [Dm]the thing with forty eyes, girl.
[Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
You’re [D]fighting for your life, inside a [F]killer,[D]Thriller, [Am]tonight.

[section 5]
[D]Night creatures call and the dead start to walk in [F]their [G]masquerade.
[Am]There’s no escaping the jaws of the alien, [Gm]this time;
[F]This is the end of your [E]life.

[section 6]
[Am]They’re out to get you; there’s demons closing in on every [D]side.
They will [Am]possess you; unless you change the number on your dial.
Now is the [D]time, for you and I to cuddle close [Am]together.
All through the [D]night, I’ll save you from the terror on [Am]the screen;
I’ll make you [Em]see…

[section 7]
That this is; [Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
‘Cause [D]I can thrill you more than [Dm]any ghost would dare try.
[Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
So [D]let me hold you tight, and share [F]a killer,
[D]Diller, [F]chiller, [Am]Thriller here [C]tonight.

[section 8]
That this is; [Am]Thril[C]ler, Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
‘Cause [D]I can thrill you more than [Dm]any ghost would dare try.
[Am]Thril[C]ler, [C]Thril[D]ler [Am]Night;
So [D]let me hold you tight, and share a [F]killer, [D]thriller, [Am7]ow!

[section 9]
[Am]I’m gonna thrill you tonight.
[Am]Darkness [F]falls across the land, [G]the midnight hour is [D]close at hand.
[Am]Creatures crawl in [F]search of blood, [G]to terrorise your [D]neighbourhood.
[Am]And whosoever shall be [F]found, without the [G]soul for getting [D]down,
Must [Am]stand and face the Hounds of Hell [F]and rot [G]inside a corpse’s [D]shell.

[Closing]
[Am] [F] [G] [D] [x3] [Am] [F]
The foulest [G]stench is in the air; the [D]funk of forty [Am]thousand years,
And grizzy [F]ghouls from every [G]tomb, are closing in to [D]seal your doom.
[Am]And though you fight [F]to stay alive; [G]your body starts to [D]shiver,
For [Am]no mere mortal [F]can resist, the [G]evil of The [D]Thriller

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistMichael Jackson
AlbumThriller
GenresPop, R&B, Soul
Year1982
KeyAm

How to play Thriller on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Michael Jackson - Thriller on ukulele requires 10 chords and 18 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Thriller uses these transitions most often: D → Am (29), Am → D (21), and Am → C (10). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Am - D chord transition.

1. Am → D chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

To move from Am to D;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.
Am to D

2. D → E chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram

To move from D to E;

  1. While playing D, lift your ring finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 4.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
D to E

3. E → Am chord transition

Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram

To move from E to Am;

  1. While playing E, lift your index finger from G string fret 4.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
E to Am

4. Am → C chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram

To move from Am to C;

  1. While playing Am, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
Am to C

5. C → D chord transition

To move from C to D;

  1. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.

6. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 4.

7. D → Dm chord transition

To move from D to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.

8. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

  1. While playing Dm, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.

9. D → F chord transition

To move from D to F;

  1. While playing D, lift your ring finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.

10. D → Am7 chord transition

To move from D to Am7;

  1. While playing D, first lift your index finger, middle finger, and ring finger.

11. Am7 → Am chord transition

To move from Am7 to Am;

  1. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

12. F → G chord transition

To move from F to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

13. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

  1. While playing G, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.

14. Am → Gm chord transition

To move from Am to Gm;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on A string fret 1.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

15. Gm → F chord transition

To move from Gm to F;

  1. While playing Gm, lift your ring finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.

16. F → E chord transition

To move from F to E;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 4.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

17. F → Am chord transition

To move from F to Am;

  1. While playing F, lift your index finger from E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.

18. G → D chord transition

To move from G to D;

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.

Thriller chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Thriller.

  • Thriller includes 134 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Thriller contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Thriller connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → Am: 4%
    • D → E: 3%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.