Chords of: Smooth Criminal by: Michael Jackson. (A, F, D/E, Cmaj7) are the main chords of the song. The chords are displayed instantly in real-time with a YouTube player, four synced views, instrument diagrams, loop practice and a built-in vocal-remover mixer.
“Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson is in F Major and runs at about 117 BPM, giving it an upbeat, driving pulse. Our analysis found 52 different chords across 377 chord changes; the ones that carry the song are A, F, D/E, Cmaj7.
F is the chord you will hold longest — roughly 11% of the 9:25 the chords were tracked for. The song opens with Bbmaj7 → F → G/F → Em → Amaj7 → B7/D# → Edim → D/E. Play the timeline above to hear each change land in real time.
Difficulty: advanced — 8 main chords with 6 extended, altered or slash voicings. Guitar tip: put a capo on fret 1 and use E major shapes — the song stays in F Major but every chord becomes an open chord.
| Chord | Time held | Share |
|---|---|---|
| F | 1:04 | 11% |
| G | 0:44 | 8% |
| D/E | 0:42 | 7% |
| Am | 0:40 | 7% |
| Am7 | 0:39 | 7% |
| A7 | 0:36 | 6% |
| Gmaj7 | 0:32 | 6% |
| Cmaj7 | 0:30 | 5% |
Bbmaj7 – F#7/A# – F – G/F – Em – Amaj7 – B7/D# – Cm7b5/Bb – Edim – D/E – A7 – B7 – C7 – B – Gm7 – A7 – B7 – C7 – Gmaj7 – A7 – B7 – C7 – B7 – Gm7 – A7 – B7 – C7 – B – Gmaj7 – A7 – B7 – C7 – B7 – Gmaj7 – A6 – B7 – Cmaj7 – Gmaj7 – A7 – Bmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Gmaj7 – Am7 – Bmaj7 – C – Gmaj7 – A7 – Bm – …
