The Police - Every Breath You Take (Guitar Cover)

This was actually a real challenge in having enough stamina in the left hand to handle those 9th chords all the way through, and also to get a similar tone. I used my Mooer 'E-Lady' to get a Summers flange/chorus sound and tried to match the tone that you can hear on the isolated tracks. It was hard to find a nice balance for it without it getting too messy so I thought I would demo just my guitar at the start so you know I am actually playing. I've been asked a lot how to play this, but the band actually play this up a step to how I am doing it. The actual track is closer to the key of Ab rather than A, but they always play it in A. I tuned it down slightly as it's closer to Ab and I enjoy playing it there. This is one of my favourite songs of all time, and also one of my favourite bridges (the 'since you've gone' bit). :)
You can find my other Police covers here - • The Police
I use a Charvel DK24 (it's Purple) into a Boss Me50, into a Mooer E-Lady, into a Focusrite interface into my computer running Logic.
I'll be uploading my notation notes to my Patreon here / bwm5150 and if you are looking for custom tutorial content, then message me there or at my email [e-mail] . Let me help you get playing the music you love!

[@bwm5150]

Notation notes at my Patreon here - www.patreon.com/posts/71878734

[@brunobatista5062]

hello friend can you make a video playing every break you take without the music just the guitar alone

[@brunobatista5062]

friend make another video of this song just the guitar sound

[@brunobatista5062]

friend make another video of this song just the guitar sound

[@brunobatista5062]

friend make another video of this song just the guitar sound

[@brunobatista5062]

friend make another video of this song just the guitar sound

[@manbearpig2164]

Good song, my dad likes to play this one on guitar, he doesn't play much these days, but when he does, he always plays this one

[@retropyro]

Andy Summers has never gotten the credit he deserves.

[@philgutherless5802]

My left hand is cramping just watching you play this.

[@prz2]

After all the leppard stuff, this is my favorite cover! Grettings from Mexico amigo!

[@ApCommunityRock]

!! Bravo Bravo excelent video my friend keep rocking :D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@fabiomorse]

Awesome! Can't wait for another Police cover... Don't Stand So Close To Me '86!

[@bwm5150]

Thanks! Yes that’s one of my favourites. I covered King of Pain a while ago too.

[@freedommakers101]

Wrote a song for Nickel back. I should have had you put down all the guitar tracks. Your superb.

[@bwm5150]

Haha thanks! Not sure I could imitate Chad though 😅

[@andreasnordin9023]

Great execution of a true finger stamina twister.

[@hangedman821]

Well done mate... Every morning through the last two years...i got up at 5am and played that song and message in a bottle till my fingers cant move any more. Now after two years....it's nothing at all....persistence and dedication gets you there. Cheers bud!

[@bwm5150]

Thanks! If that’s what works for then that’s great, keep it up.

[@hangedman821]

@@bwm5150 Just trying to encourage others how to REALLY be able to play it........persistence and practice till you bleed! : )

[@bwm5150]

@@hangedman821 I think you need to be careful with the persistence side. I've always found having breaks helps build the muscle memory better. I try not to encourage people to persist through too much pain or discomfort also, as that can cause problems in the long term.

[@hangedman821]

@@bwm5150 Fair enough mate....peace and love! Horse for courses!

[@PedroFin321]

You chose the best sogs, and play them so clean. This is a real finger breaker😂. Loved it👍

[@OnceShy_TwiceBitten]

Been watching some of your vids, You are CRIMINALLY underrated. Most tubers put some BS spin on a song, or are not even really that close you are SPOT on nearly perfectly matching the sound.

[@bwm5150]

Very kind, thank you! I have a Leppardized series where I add some guitar to pop songs, but if there’s already enough guitar, I want to imitate it as accurately as possible.

[@OnceShy_TwiceBitten]

@@bwm5150 nothing wrong with that. I more so meant where someone posts a cover that just sounds atrocious but has a million views vs perfection and almost none lol.

[@adamwarlock5286]

Just wow. Love your variation on the outro Ben , and how you put your own stamp on this masterpiece. I could drown in that chorus / delay 😊

[@kaori-himawari]

After watching your video, I've listened a lot of people play this song on KZbin....I found you are the best!!!

[@bwm5150]

Aw that's very kind, thanks!

[@bass7678]

I find a Nurofen about 20mins before this tunes helps a lot with the arthritis and tendonitis 😂😂 Great cover that's true to the original. Spent about 4 years down a Police rabbit hole in my youth......trying....not....to...go....back.....down.....😉

[@MrCarl5150]

That spread hurts just watching it from here...I just saw Sting awhile back but I never had a chance to see The Police..wish I could have seen them live. Another killer cover 👍💪🍻

[@CrusTeek]

Great job! I saw the main riff being among many all time 'easiest sounding/hardest to play' ranks :)

[@THE_Michael_Westen]

My fingers hurt just looking at this. Well done and great sound.

[@werewolf145]

Amazong cover, I like this song so much! Me too after playing it my hand is destroyed by those 9th chords haha.

[@wavular]

Andy summer's is totally underrated as a composer.

[@BerndThomasSchuller]

Yes, but Sting wrote this one

[@MeikaiX]

​@@BerndThomasSchuller No, Andy Summers did, he was inspired by Béla Bartók who was a composer in the early 20th century.

[@ryanwalker3015]

Great one man! There's a great song for warming up your left hand for sure.

[@shanepavey8274]

Great work again man

[@godhell8039]

Beautiful execution!👏👏🙌 Memories of the past.🥹 Songs that are no longer composed...🥺

[@robertbaker3174]

Oh man I remember trying to get my fingers spreading like that. It hurts me just looking at you play that!

[@ArcturianKnight]

Oh, this song! ❤️

[@kaori-himawari]

I read your summary column. It's a very difficult song. I saw your great talent and hard work. Thank you so much. I was impressed.

[@pcsilvav]

Superb, as usual, Mate!

[@whaguitars]

Great job Ben!!

[@johnmoore1480]

Beautiful rendition of a classic.

[@iangaunala2791]

Always love the guitar riff of this song by Police. I just love watching this guy too good..

[@blaine8274]

This has got to be exhausting but you played it like the pro you are. Loved it.

[@gilbertoisabot]

This is the first one I find where someone is playing in the same key or tune or WHATEVER I'm not a musician but the top ones are different. This one is the same👍🏾

[@bwm5150]

Ah thanks! Yes, the original recording is in a bit of an awkward guitar key so most play it differently. I mention a little bit about that in the video description.

[@tommorgan1233]

Brilliant playing, as always. And that tone is amazing :)

[@kevinshobbyroom3932]

It's a tough one for sure ! Great Job !

[@theh3mpourium113]

The tone was magnificent

[@AdrianGonzalez-ii7jb]

excelent cover as always, mate!

[@thelmalynch7109]

🤩 I love it and you know how I feel about when you play to the end like that🎸🎧 epic cover Ben your journey fan always 🎶🎶

[@JamieLynnMorris]

Excellent as Always! 💥💥❤💥💥❤💥💥

[@sgguitar]

Great job, Ben.

[@sumitd500]

Great Job BWM!👍🏼💐🎼

[@paulkane817]

Brilliant buddy 👏 🤘🎸

[@gillyc4550]

You’ve made my day covering one of my favourite songs from my favourite group 😍

[@heroninouye]

Awesome choice Ben! Precise execution!

[@jessrene111]

You're the guitar tone expert!!! Love this cover 😁 I'm getting ready this week to do a fun series om my guitar channel where I play basslines on my guitar cause i dpmt have a bass XD I've been wanting to learn how to play guitar so I can make my own instrumentals

[@evany0526]

Surprising you've never covered this before now. One of the best songs ever written. Awesome job once again...definitely need an attention to detail to pull this one off!

[@aprilmitchell9012]

I don't know what you do for a living but you definitely should be on a big stage with a big named band!

[@fabiomartinveloster3590]

Good choice for the best tone.🙌😁🎸

[@BandyGnat]

BRO THIS IS ACTUALLY AMAZING 🔥👍 amazing taste

[@AimingWanderously]

The stretchiest, sore hand song! I can't play it all the way through, painful, but I am working on it. Nice job on that! Def Leppard's Love Bites shares some of these fingerings if I rememebr correctly.

[@bwm5150]

Thanks! Yep there’s some added 9th chords in love bites too.

[@Wholord000]

love the fahrenheit shirt!

[@TiernanSongs]

Thank you for sharing your talent with the world. I used to have a Jackson Rhoads Ex in college, and it had similar pickups. You sound great. 🔥🔥🔥

[@j.j.hayden9461]

Great playing as always. One of the earliest songs I learnt on the guitar as a kid, I think the first place I heard it was in the Stephen King film Cat's Eye. As you say, it gets a lot of work out of your left hand. Cheers

[@RJReda]

Well done, you're sick on guitar, dude! 🤘

[@rockindadpodcast]

Once again, you pull off another flawless performance! Great job and keep them coming!

[@alihandforth8707]

Really enjoyed your cover and I'm jealous of the tone you found! Surely this your favourite bridge because of the respite it gives your left hand!? Ouch!

[@bwm5150]

Haha, certainly is a reason now. I think that bridge is exactly what a bridge should be in a song. It’s all about the payoff 😁

[@christianlockling1138]

Ben wonderful I went last time couple of weeks to Newcastle upon Tyne when Gordon Mathew Sumner was born 🎸🎸🎸I went to his house in front of the church in Newcastle it's a fish shop nowadays he used to live in the first floor in Wallsend Newcastle 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@bwm5150]

Thanks! Newcastle is where my dad is from so that’s a familiar part of the world to me 😊.

[@theriley1976]

flawless

[@ruben_sykes]

Amazin sound bro! I really love it!! 🔥🔥🤘🤘🎸🎸

[@W7Mike5150]

Holy f**k dude... my hand is looking at me like... "Don't even think it..."

[@RDMUSIC_]

Nice song man!

[@andrewboyd2023]

This a fantastic bit of music, my problem is you can get to 5 frets stretch I can’t make it, maybe an age thing I’m 60ish, I’ll need to do some finger work outs! Thanks for sharing your great playing.

[@cmschuller]

nicely played

[@wavular]

Nice composition

[@ampy8136]

Nice song,nice guitar..

[@aminahmed2220]

Fantastic cover

[@bobfromjob]

As a kid, I went into this song with an open mind and loved it. As an adult, well...

[@garyparnell4409]

wow I always thought those acoustic versions on here sounded sus. This is why haha. A pretty good version can be done with conventional chords but this version is far more exact.

[@TheDeedeeFiles]

Awesome

[@freedommakers101]

Well done

[@kaori-himawari]

l start to practice this Song with my Electric guitar🎸😀 ❤️l will watch your play to see your fingering 🤌I want to be like you....someday 😀Thank you for this video.

[@jibae6774]

I find it slightly easier to play if you use a capo so that the second chord in the verse is played with an Em shape. Then you can play an open low E string and give your left hand a break for two measures. 🙂 Using a shorter scale neck like a PRS or Gibson also helps. Even if you can handle the stretches, it's a tricky song to get right because you have to be really disciplined with your timing. There's nowhere for the guitar to hide, and the delay is such a part of the rhythm that if you get off the beat it'll sound sloppy. Great job!

[@bwm5150]

Thanks! Yes, there’s some variations you can use to make it easier that Andy and even Sting have used live. It’s always best to do what’s comfortable for you 👍

[@paul44235]

That's not an easy song to cover properly. Andy Summers has always been underrated.

[@ryangioia2358]

Every stretch you take Every ligament you break…

[@bwm5150]

True 😅

[@ryangioia2358]

@@bwm5150 Seriously, though, nice cover. 👍

[@minkulai]

My fingers hurt only by watching those chords in the song

[@jfrog1979]

I get a hand cramp just a watching this🤣😩🫳👀

[@alex.-wy4yh]

Awesome👍

[@코식이-r2h]

저도 흰색 프린팅 티셔츠에 청바지 커플티 입고 싶어요 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 흰색프린팅티셔츠반팔티랑 청바지입고 싶어요 ㅋㅋㅋ 🤣

[@THESHADOWSLAIR669]

very nice

[@kimachhangte637]

My fingers hurt while watching this.

[@markanthony1363]

I can say that Message In A Bottle is really hard for me asf. Very stretchy chord. 🤣 But in this song, it tooks me many times to get the right chord (because again it's stretchy) and the right picking as well.

[@gideld]

I sound cool! now I already know what device is the one next to the computer, but what is the one behind Scarlett?

[@bwm5150]

Tri Avatar pedal.

[@gideld]

@@bwm5150 classic sound man!

[@gelolima5276]

Moito bom 👏👏💪💪💪🤘🤘🤘

[@Aaron-sw2nn]

Smooth

[@RickStamler]

Hey dude!! Got this song in my head and here you are!! Take request from old pal in Ohio? One Night Love Affair Bryan Adams. There used to be a guitar cover of that song by a really good Asian kid but I can’t find it anymore. I always like Bryan Adams songs because imo, Keith Scott wrote some of the best solos of the era. Like my hero Neal Schon, Keith wrote some of the best amazing stuff…the infamous outro solo! Nothing like a song fading and cranking it up to 10 to hear every last note. One Night Love Affair??

[@bwm5150]

Bryan’s team manually Copyright Strike me, which risks me losing my channel, so I won’t be doing anymore of his tracks for the foreseeable future unfortunately.

[@RickStamler]

@@bwm5150 well that sucks. I’ll never understand theyre reasoning behind that. It’s a 30yr old song that no one cares about. lol. Diana is another song of his I love can’t find much on that either. Any idea how many times I played Summer 69 in bands? Made me hate the song.

[@astro-blaster4190]

Pretty much the best song ever btw

[@tonyclaudio4005]

You are truly an exceptional guitarist, I would ask you if you can to do C.Moon by simple minds Thank you in advance

[@Patrizia56]

🤘🔥🔥🔥

[@vincesantam5717]

even my little finger is short i can still play this song

[@SatsJava]

Still hope you cover Dewa19 - Aku Milikmu

[@gadomskimotors]

Try 12” version with leppardized style ❤

[@jamesalcock3060]

Brilliant cover once again Hey, I have a song you might like to cover House of Broken Love by Great White, some beautiful guitar parts & solos, check it out if you’ve not heard it 😊

[@bwm5150]

Thanks, I’ll check it out.

[@mruncletheredge]

great finger busting there.... one thing though. andy summers tunes a half step down on this tune. so you actually start on the fifth fret.... other than that, as always, love your stuff...

[@bwm5150]

I do mention these things in the description 😅

[@culex4458]

What guitar you use and what amp

[@bwm5150]

Equipment is listen in the description, cheers!

[@RobinDale50]

All downstrokes. I have a chance of playing this then.

[@bwm5150]

I think Andy alternates but I found it more comfortable downpicking everything with the palm muted sound

[@rrrrrrrr_0]

Thats a big stretch no

[@MrSatanislav]

I hate this song for that chords

[@neilk1976]

I stick a capo fret 2 and play a g shape,.much easier 😂