Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal Lyrics

How to play Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal Lyrics by MJKiingofPop on guitar

This song is a fun one to learn because the progression feels tense and driving, and it has a strong, recognizable pop groove even at a beginner level. You get a steady, dramatic feel that makes simple chord changes sound exciting.

You can lean on the open shapes Dm, A, F, and Am, but the harder barre shapes are A#, D#m, C#m, Cm, G#, F#m, A#m, C#, and F#. The main change to watch is the opening move from A# to D#m to C#m to Cm, since that chain asks you to shift cleanly between barre shapes without losing the pulse.

Start by looping the opening progression very slowly and making each chord change clean before worrying about speed. Then practice the open shapes on their own, add the barre shapes back in one at a time, and finally bring it up toward the song tempo while keeping the rhythm even.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.