Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

The Police - Every Breath You Take - Guitar Lesson

Practice Studio

The Police - Every Breath You Take - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key G major
The Police - Every Breath You Take guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 1.1Mviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Listen on Spotify
The Police Rock G major
Capo Advisor 0 G major · Original key

Every Breath You Take

"Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band The Police, released on their fifth and final studio album Synchronicity in 1983 and written by Sting. It became the biggest American and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. For electric guitarists, the song is a rewarding study in clean, melodic playing, Andy Summers' iconic arpeggiated chord riff is one of the most recognizable guitar parts in rock history and an excellent exercise in right-hand control and chord voicing.

  • Andy Summers' arpeggiated guitar riff uses open-position and barre chord voicings that reward guitarists who focus on clean, even picking technique.
  • The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks in 1983, making it the biggest US single of that year.
  • BMI recognised 'Every Breath You Take' in May 2019 as the most played song in radio history, a testament to its enduring musical hook.
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Andy Summers used the Strat on select Police tracks for its smooth, singing sustain and contoured body comfort during intricate fingerpicking passages. Its versatile pickup switching complemented his hybrid Tele's spiky attack, offering warmer mid-range tones for atmospheric arrangements.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Summers' modified 1961 Tele Custom with Gibson humbucker in the neck and Fender single-coil bridge became his signature weapon, delivering both cutting reggae arpeggios and warm, sustained chords that defined The Police's distinctive sonic character.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

The ES-335's warm, woody tone and semi-hollow body resonance gave Summers jazzier options in the studio, adding sophisticated harmonic depth to Police tracks that required softer, more organic textures beyond the Tele's angular attack.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Summers pushed the JCM800 just past breakup for crunch rather than full distortion, pairing it in stereo with his clean Roland to create The Police's signature wide, layered guitar image with grit and clarity coexisting.

MXR Phase 90
Pedal

MXR Phase 90

This swirling phaser added jet-like, psychedelic textures to Summers' clean tones, occasionally used to enhance the shimmering, otherworldly quality of Police arrangements without overwhelming their reggae-influenced rhythmic precision.

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Pedal

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

The MXR Carbon Copy's warm analog delay provided rhythmic slapback and lush atmospheric repeats essential to Summers' compositional approach, where effects functioned as fundamental song elements rather than decorative flourishes.

Recommended for You

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)