Are you using ring and pinky together for the first part where you have to play 4th string on A and D? Or are you bridging? And when you play the next part 2 4 2 on D then 4 2 4 on A are you using pinky? Or ring? What I find helpful in the transition from D G back to A D is to make sure I’m using the pinky for the 4th string on 4 2 4 on the D string (during the D G part) because then you just move your ring up to the A string and you’re ready to go, assuming you’re using the two finger technique. Alternately you can try to bridge but that’s tough for me on the pinky and I’ve not mastered that yet.
2 Likes
Oh…additionally, you can slow the slow video down even further using the tools menu on the video. Echoing @MikeC here…slow down
4 Likes
I’ll repeat what others have said. Slow down.
I looked back at what I experienced with this two years ago.
Here is what I found.
By the way. The 75% and 50% mentioned are reducing the slow speed even more.
5 Likes
What broke it for me… ( I was having issues at first ) was my initial plucking attack to the riff.
Once I changed it to a middle finger start then rake down on 4th fret to follow, alternate for the rest, everything fell into place 
2 Likes
Yeah the line takes a lot of coordination to pull off, especially at tempo. I still can’t do it on the slow workout speed, but I’ve stopped working on it until I finish the course, and probably after I learn quite a few of the other 50 songs that are easier. Also, once you can play it at tempo, it’s a quite a stamina challenge to keep it going for the whole song.
So I think it is a good thing to practice, as long as you don’t get frustrated with it.
3 Likes
100% agreed. This is a GREAT stamina exercise As well as a little finger gymnastics thrown in for good measure
3 Likes
Billie who?
I still haven’t gone back to it. In fact I haven’t done any of the course in about 3 months 
1 Like
When I went through the course … I got through Billie Jean (fast) first time through… though only just barely… ( I have previous bass experience ) … That was the point tho, where I literally said out loud “oh, shit just got real!”
After completing the course tho… I went back again… and it was so much easier. Fretting hand still felt a bit of burn… it still is a hella workout… But the rest of the course definitely tackles issues students may have that is causing issues with Billie Jean
When you finish up the course, go back to it… you will see its not as hard as it once was
5 Likes
Great reading and comments here…
I will be upon this lesson in the next week or two
4 Likes
Wow this one got me… not how to on…. My pinky finger has a mind of its own , my rhythm is off completely. Not sure what to do. I was doing fine until Billie Jean….
7 Likes
Hello Rob
BJ = your post is not uncommon and many if not all who do the course have had similar experiences. Visit the forum and you will see many posts like yours.
For perhaps every bass obstacle there’s the same answer.
I’m not going to say because inside we all know what it is…
Good to have you here, enjoy… 
4 Likes
Welcome to the club! Everybody faceplants on Billie Jean. Just work through it very slowly — a lot slower than the Slow workout. Go through it for about five minutes. Then move on to further lessons.
You can revisit BJ any time. Just give it a few minutes at a time. Let it percolate in your subconscious. Then, one day, BAM! There it is.
Many, many Buzzers have had this experience. Just work it methodically and slowly. BJ will be yours. You got this.
7 Likes
Literally, the thread next to this one, “Gave Up”, is about this same issue.
4 Likes
It’s hard, do your best, move on, come back to it often. Otherwise, it will drive you crazy. If you are a total beginner (like I was), its gonna will take awhile to get it into any reasonable, recognizable form.
2 Likes
Hello @robdanielsjr
It is the normal course of learning and will happen again throughout your practice.
Accept that as a given, don’t fret, and just play.
Where you are today will not be where you are as a bassist one month from now, six months from now, or years from now, so long as you don’t let normal learning and growth hinder you to the point that playing becomes unenjoyable and you stop practicing.
Enjoy the journey. If you could already accomplish these things it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
3 Likes
Well, you have to fret or else you’ll just be playing open strings. 
5 Likes
Rob–
Like many, Billie Jean is not my love either. I hate that song. And it’s not because of the bass line—I just hate it. (Anything Michael did after the Off The Wall album is, for me, meh.)
That said, here’s a tip whenever you have a Billie Jean Moment™: Don’t end your practice session on it.
For the same reason people say you should never go to bed angry with your significant other, never end a practice session on a discouraging note. If a song or passage has you temporarily flummoxed, don’t stop on that. Pick out something you’ve got nailed and have a lot of confidence in, and riff on that for a while before putting the bass away. Always end your practice sessions by doing something you feel good about, even if it’s as simple as thumping a nice, steady two-note groove for a while.
One of the big reasons people like B2B so much is because it gives them that “I can do this!” feeling. There are a lot of wins for the student, and it’s those wins that keep people going. So always, always end your practice session on a win. It’s important.
And welcome to the forum…!
4 Likes
Go back to the comments section of the lesson … and see exactly how NOT alone you are.
Billie Jean was a musical land mine set there for a reason
When you come back to it later… you will get it
Also, welcome!
2 Likes
I first tried Billie Jean two weeks ago. Now I am half way through Module 6 and I was able to go back and complete the slow and medium work outs. The fast is too much for my pinkie right now. But I am hopeful in a couple more weeks I will be able to come back and really dance with her!
9 Likes
OMG! Billie Jean is killing me! I was doing quite well with the course and im struggling so much with this one!! So glad it is not just me
4 Likes