Michael Jackson – Beat It

22 Comments

1. Iain March 24th, 2009 9:15 pm
   

   V. good, now tab the solo :-)

2. Chris March 25th, 2009 3:08 am
   

   My favorite of the recent batch of solos.

   @ Lain: Think Eddie Van Halen plays ukulele? Maybe he could help with the solo. Next ukulelehunt guest interview!

3. Woodshed March 25th, 2009 1:23 pm
   

   Iain: Get bent ;)

   Chris: I would ask him, but I have a strict ‘no spandex’ policy.

4. todd March 25th, 2009 2:21 pm
   

   i would love to hear this whole song with like 4 ukes, upright bass, brushes and a snare…..and someone like uke jill singing…..can you hear it?

   nice work….

   todd

5. Woodshed March 25th, 2009 8:51 pm
   

   todd: Sounds like a good idea to me.

6. Cardboardfrog March 28th, 2009 12:23 pm
   

   i’m so all over this riff, it’s unreasonable how much fun i’m having with it!
   i’m having quite the ukulele-y day today, bought a fluke this morning for just over a hundred quid and am to see the UOGB this evening ^^,

7. Woodshed March 29th, 2009 9:28 pm
   

   cbf: Glad you’re enjoying it. Let us know what you thought of the gig.

8. IronChowder July 12th, 2009 3:40 pm
   

   Yay!, I have had my uke for a week now and this really helped

9. Woodshed July 13th, 2009 7:20 pm
   

   IronChowder: Glad I could help out.

10. Fake Name Stevie August 16th, 2009 5:05 pm
    

    What do you suggest for fingering this one?

    Here’s what I’ve come up with (total beginner here):

    Pluck C string open.
    Bar 3rd fret with index finger.
    Pluck E string.
    Pinky on A, 6th fret. Pluck.
    Pinky off. Pluck A.

    And that’s where I get stuck. My ring finger is too squishy to bar the 5th fret, but my pinky can take care of the E at the 6th.

    I can SO nearly get this it’s maddening.

11. Woodshed August 19th, 2009 10:58 am
    

    Stevie: I play it with my ring finger on the A string, pinkie on the E string (6th fret) and middle finger on the G string. An easier way would be to replace the G string fifth fret with A string 3rd fret. But it wouldn’t sound as good.

12. Fake Name Stevie August 21st, 2009 11:08 am
    

    Oich!

    Thanks for the tips – maybe this is still a bit too advanced for me yet.

13. Cliff September 18th, 2009 7:57 am
    

    Fake Name Stevie: This one isn’t THAT advanced so it’d be good practice for you on building up finger dexterity :)

    Also, playing the C in the 3rd measure on the A is the only way to play it on a low-G uke… why wouldn’t it sound as good? It’s the same note!

14. ajnguyen March 5th, 2011 5:22 am
    

    instead of playing 5 on he 1st sting play another 3 on the 4th string its the same note and you can bar on three it makes it easier to play

15. Justin September 2nd, 2011 4:09 am
    

    Great site. What key is this song in? Is it Em, like original?

16. Woodshed September 2nd, 2011 11:02 am
    

    Justin: No, it’s Cm.

17. Justin September 2nd, 2011 9:42 pm
    

    Thanks @woodshed for speedy reply

18. Dan October 10th, 2011 3:18 am
    

    Very cool tab, but I found a much easier way to play the last two notes and makes for much less movement. Instead of 5 on the G then 6 on the E, go back to the 3 on the A after the 5, then go 6 on the E.

    Cheers,
    Dan

19. Steve November 4th, 2011 3:48 pm
    

    I have my own interpretation of the song that I posted on youtube. I played this main riff on a baritone uke, but The music store I work at has a fun uke tab book that includes “Beat It” for soprano uke.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mEzlQXctAQ

    check it out

20. Woodshed November 5th, 2011 7:25 am
    

    Steve: Very nicely done!

21. David powell October 6th, 2014 11:09 pm
    

    Just found this – and love it! Thanks again…

22. Woodshed October 7th, 2014 7:36 am
    

    David powell: You’re very welcome!