Beat It Tab by Michael Jackson

Beat It tab by Michael Jackson

Guitar Tab

Gtr I (E A D G B E) - 'Steve Lukather - main riff w/dist'
Gtr II (E A D G B E) - 'Rhythm w/dist'
Gtr III (E A D G B E) - 'Clean electric'
Gtr IV (E A D G B E) - 'Eddie Van Halen - Lead w/dist'

Intro

 4/4
  Gtr I

|----------|-------------|----------------------|------------------|
|--13 bars-|-------------|----------------------|------------------|
|--synth---|-------------|----------------------|------------------|
|--intro---|-------------|---------5-2--(2)-2h4-|-(4)-2-0--0-------|
|----------|-------------|-------2--------------|------------------|
|----------|-----------0-|-(0)-3----------------|---------------0--|
                         |-Riff A

🎸

Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -


|----------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|
|---------5-2--(2)-2h4-|-(4)-2-0-----------|--------------5-----2----(2)-2h4---|
|-------2--------------|-------------------|------------2----------------------|
|-(0)-3----------------|---------------0---|-(0)---3---------------------------|
|                               end Riff A-|
| Gtr II
|                                                                  ~~
|  W
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------12------12--------------|
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------12------12-14-----------|
|----------------------|---------------x-x-|--x--x-x-x------14----14-------x-x-|
|----------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|



|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|-(4)-2----0------0-------------|
|-------------------------------|
|---------------------------0---|
|
|                 ~~~~
|
|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------|
|-----------------------------4-|
|-12------12-12-(12)--(12)\-----|
|-12--x-x-12-12-(12)--(12)\-----|
|-------------------------------|



|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|------------5----2----(2)-2h4---|-(4)-2-----------------------|
|----------2---------------------|----------5------------------|
|-(0)-3--------------------------|-----------------------------|
|
|                    ~~                            ~~~~
|
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|-12------12-----12--------------|-----------------------------|
|---------12-----12-14-----------|-12------12-12-(12)--(12)\---|
|-----x-x------x----14-------x-x-|-12--x-x-12-12-(12)--(12)\---|
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|


   Verse
    Gtr II

||-----------------|--------------|----------------|-----------------|
||o----------------|--------------|----------------|-----------------|
||----9-9---9----7-|-7---7--------|---9-9---9----7-|-7---7--------5--|
||----9-9---9----7-|-7---7--------|---9-9---9----7-|-7---7--------5--|
||o----------------|--------------|----------------|-----------------|
||-----------------|--------------|----------------|-----------------|
 |-Rhy Fig 1


|----------------|--------------|----------------|--------------||
|----------------|--------------|----------------|--------------||
|-5---5--------7-|-7---7--------|---9-9---9----7-|-7---7--------||
|-5---5--------7-|-7---7--------|---9-9---9----7-|-7---7--------||
|----------------|--------------|----------------|--------------||
|----------------|--------------|----------------|--------------||
                                                  end Rhy Fig 1-|

  w/Rhy Fig 1
  Gtr III
    PM-----------------------------------------------------------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|---2-0-2-0-2---2-|-0-2-0-2-4-2-0-2-|---2-0-2-0-2---2-|-0-2-0-2-4--2-0-2-|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|



                                                                   Gtr I
    PM---------------------------------------------------------|

|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------||
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------||
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------||
|---2-0-2-0--2---2-|-0-2-0-2-4-2-0-2-|---2-0-2-0-2---2-|-0-2-0-2--------||
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------||
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------0-||


 Chorus
  Gtr I
  Riff A


 w/Riff A
  Gtr III

|-------------------------|----------------------|
|-12----12---12---12------|-12----12---12---12---|
|-------------------------|----------------------|
|--9-----9----9----9------|--9-----9----9----9---|
|-------------------------|----------------------|
|-------------------------|----------------------|
|-Rhy Fig 2



|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-12----12---12---12------|-12----12---12----12-----|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|--9-----9----9----9------|--9-----9----9-----9-----|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
                                      end Rhy Fig 2-|

  1.
  Gtr I

|----------------------|-----------------|
|----------------------|-----------------|
|----------------------|-----------------|
|---------5-2--(2)-2h4-|-(4)-2-0--0------|
|-------2--------------|-----------------|
|-(0)-3----------------|---------------0-|



|----------------------|----------------||
|----------------------|---------------o||
|----------------------|----------------||
|---------5-2--(2)-2h4-|-(4)-2-0--------||
|-------2--------------|---------------o||
|-(0)-3----------------|----------------||


  2.

|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|---0-0---0----0-|-0---0--------0-|---0-0---0----0-|-0---0--------0-|
|-Rhy Fig 3                                           end Rhy Fig 3-|

Rhy Fig 3


w/Rhy Fig 3 x2
  Gtr II
                   ~~                      ~~~~

|-------------------------|------------------------|
|-------------------------|------------------------|
|-------12-----12---------|-12-----12--------------|
|-------12-----12-14------|-12-----12-14-(14)------|
|---x-x------x----14--x-x-|------x----14-(14)------|
|-------------------------|------------------------|



                   ~~                      ~~~~

|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------12-----12---------|-12-----12---------------|
|-------12-----12-14------|-12-----12-14-(14)-------|
|---x-x------x----14--x-x-|------x----14-(14)-------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|


                   ~~                      ~~~~                       ~~

|-------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------12-----12---------|-12-----12--------------|-------12-----12---------|
|-------12-----12-14------|-12-----12-14-(14)------|-------12-----12-14------|
|---x-x------x----14--x-x-|------x----14-(14)------|---x-x------x----14--x-x-|
|-------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------|


  Gtr IV
               \4____/

|-----------------------------------||
|-----------------------------------||
|--------------0-----0-----(0)h2b3==||
|-----------------------------------||
|-----------------------------------||
|-----------------------------------||
|
| Gtr II
|                    ~~~~
|
|-----------------------------------||
|-----------------------------------||
|-12-----12-------------------------||
|-12-----12-14-----(14)-------------||
|------x----14-----(14)-------------||
|-----------------------------------||


 Guitar Solo
w/Rhy Fig 1 x2
  Gtr IV
                                   ~~~~~           T

|----------------------------|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|----------------------------|
|-(2)b4==(2)-----(2)r(2)s7---|-(7)-7(14)-----(7)s9-9(14)--|
|----------------------------|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|----------------------------|


              T        T                T              T
                       |------5------|  |------6-------|

|------------15p10h14-15p14p12p==10h14-15p14p12p10h14-15p|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|-(9)s==14-----------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|


                  T              T                        ~~~
   |---------7----------|  |---------7----------|

|-14p12p10-----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------h14---15p14p12p10h14-15p14p==12p10-(10)h12h13p12----(12)s=|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|


                       |-----5-----|  |------6-------|

|------------------12h19p15p12----12-------------12----|
|-19------12-15h19-------------19-12-19p15p12h15----19p|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|


   |---------7---------|

|----------12------------12-----------------------------------------------|
|-15p12h15------19p15p12----12---------------------15b17==(15)r(15)p12h===|
|------------------------------14b15==(14)r(14)p12------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|



                                                              \2.5_______
      T           T

|----------------19s22--------------------------------------------------|
|-15-19s22p15p12-------15p12--------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------14b15==(14)-(14)r(14)p12-0-(0)-(0)----(0)-|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|


   /                             \1/

|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|-(0)-(0)---[9]b11==(9)r(9)p7h9-(9)p7-(7)--|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|



|-----------------------------------------------|
|------3b5==(3)-(3)r(3)p0h3b5==(3)r(3)p0-3b5====|
|-(7)\------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------|


|------------------------------------------------|
|=(3)rp0-3b5==(3)r(3)p0--------------------------|
|-----------------------[2]b4==([2])--([2])r-(2)s|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|

                                          ~~~~~

|-------------12--------------12-15b17==(15)r---12----|
|----------------15b17==(15)r-12-------------------12-|
|-16-----7s13-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|

                       ~~~~~~~~~         T

|------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------15h18p13-|
|-14b16==(14)r(14)p12-14---(14)-(14)\------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|



   T          T        T        T         T        T        T        T           T
   |------5------|  |------6-------|  |--------7---------|  |---------7----------|

|-15h18p12------------15h18p12-----------15h18p12----------15h18p12---------h13-17p==|
|------------15h18p12----------15h18p12-----------15h18p12----------15p==12----------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


      T     T
   |3-|  |3-|

|-10-17p10-17p10s==8------0---------12----|
|-------------------------0-15b17==(15)r--|
|--------------------9s14-----------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|


   TP   TP   TP     TP   TP   TP   TP  TP      TP

|-12---14---15-----17-|-17---19---19--22b24==(22)-----||
|---------------------|-------------------------------||
|---------------------|-------------------------------||
|---------------------|-------------------------------||
|---------------------|-------------------------------||
|---------------------|-------------------------------||



 Out-Chorus
w/Riff A
    TP     TP     ~~~~

|-(22)---(22)---(22)----------|-(22)r------------------|
|-----------------------------|------------------------|
|-----------------------------|---------19--(19)\------|
|-----------------------------|-------x----------------|
|-----------------------------|------------------------|
|-----------------------------|------------------------|


|----------------------|-------------------|

Riff A + Rhy Fig 2


Riff A -> Riff A + Rhy Fig 2 (repeat 3 times and fade)

Last updated: July 1, 2025

Michael Jackson tabs for Beat it

About Beat It

"Beat It" by Michael Jackson, released in 1983, features a blistering guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. The song's iconic music video, directed by Bob Giraldi, helped propel it to the top of the charts. With its powerful message of standing up to peer pressure, "Beat It" remains a timeless anthem of defiance and individuality in the world of music.

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