The Thriller synth riff
lead · bright · 118 BPM (108–124) · C# minor · 2 bars · 32 steps
The technique
Four notes across two bars, and almost every one lands off the beat. Place them exactly where the grid puts them and the rhythm carries the part.
Accent the first note and play everything after it under that. One fixed point is what lets the ear hear the rest as pushed.
Keep the notes short and even. The gaps belong to the drums.
Sit it in the middle of the register and keep it tight: the root at the bottom and nothing more than a fourth above it. Down there it interlocks with the bass and the kit.
The notes
2 bars in C# minor. Each note is in force across the steps shown.
- steps 1–12·C#3·degree 1·MIDI 49
- steps 13–20·F#3·degree 4·MIDI 54
- steps 21–26·E3·degree 3·MIDI 52
- steps 27–32·C#3·degree 1·MIDI 49
The grid
Every step below strikes the note in force at that point. The grid is where the figure is played.
- —1 (vel 116)
- —3, 11, 19, 27
- —5, 13, 21, 29
- —8, 16, 24 (all vel 74)
Your boxes
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Where it plays
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