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The Police - Message In A Bottle - Guitar Lesson

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The Police - Message In A Bottle - Guitar Lesson

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The Police - Message In A Bottle guitar lesson video
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The Police Rock C# minor
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Message In A Bottle

"Message in a Bottle" is a song by the Police, released as the lead single from their 1979 album Reggatta de Blanc. Written by Sting, it tells the story of a castaway seeking connection through a bottled message, only to discover he is far from alone. The song is a strong choice for electric guitarists, featuring Andy Summers' iconic arpeggiated chord work that remains one of rock's most recognizable guitar patterns.

  • The song's guitar part is built around arpeggiated add9 chords, an essential technique worth mastering for any electric guitarist.
  • Andy Summers plays the chords clean with subtle chorus effect, making tone and picking precision critical to nailing the feel.
  • Written by Sting, the lyrical theme shifts from isolation to solidarity, a contrast reflected in the song's dynamic guitar arrangement.
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.

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