Top 10 Chords of The Police (+ 5 Tips To Play Like Andy Summers)

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Here’s a full lesson on how to play the most popular chords in the hit songs of the band The Police!
And at the end, I’m going to give you 5 guidelines to play chords in the style of Andy Summers (guitar player of The Police), so that you can apply these chords, sounds and techniques in your own music!
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:38 Roxanne
3:53 Message In A Bottle
5:19 Every Breath You Take
8:52 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
10:13 Walking On The Moon
12:04 Don’t Stand So Close To Me
13:48 De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
16:03 5 Guidelines To Play Like Andy Summers
18:14 My gift: Free online course on Spread Triads
__________
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This is the Ambient Guitar youtube channel of Canadian multi-instrumentist Antoine Michaud. Through original ambient music, chordal guitar lessons and tips on guitar pedals, Antoine is looking to educate and inspire aspiring ambient musicians to learn everything about the world of ambient guitar and chordal voicings on guitar.

[@seanverso6712]

Every wrist you break all my fingers aches

[@GordonPavilion]

😂

[@sillysausage4549]

He plays a much easier version of the positions live

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Some people don't realize how Incredible-of-a Guitar player Andy Summers is. He is a Chord encyclopedia. Great lesson presented here. Listen to "Murder by Numbers"

[@cliftontorrence839]

The more you explain Andy Summers, the more singular his music and style becomes. Really great video, Mr.

[@guitawrizt]

🎸 The Police Tone is awesome. Thx for nailing it.

[@gioknows]

Andy Summers was brilliant.

[@JohnnyBeane]

Love Andy Summers! Was hanging out with him a while back. 🎸

[@seanandben]

Hi Antoine. As always a very good and insightful lesson. Andy's jazz/fusion background served him very well during his time with the Police. In Message In A Bottle, he actually plays a harmony line to the main riff. It doesn't follow the normal harmony "rules" like being a 3rd or a 5th above, and it’s difficult to hear exactly what he’s doing on the recording but it makes a huge difference to the song.

[@Roonlovesfish3874]

Not to break any bubbles. The entire structure including the amazing harmony was handed over to Andy Summers by Sting

[@MRod1079]

Great Lesson here! Wow those stretches are killer but sound so cool!

[@mioszoboza2292]

Great job, thanks

[@ghfdt368]

Great lesson Antoine! One secret that I never realised but often Andy Summers with the tricky 9th chord stretches is he plays them as arpeggios too! I've seen live videos of him playing every breath you take for example where he doesn't hold the chords for the minor and Major 9 chord the whole song but actually plays them as an arpeggio too.Probably because his hand is getting tired and it's possible because the chords are palm muted so no ringing notes 🙂, so if anyone is struggling with playing every breath you take,you can totally get away with playing it like an arpeggio!

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Yes! I showed a little bit of this technique in the video, were you release the index finger to play the note on the 3rd string and then back and forth to the 6th string, but you could release even more notes if you want. Good tip!

[@ramencurry6672]

Love Antoine’s voice. I could hear him talk all day

[@michaelanthony9068]

Brilliant lesson. Well explained.

[@pablorusso_ok]

Thank you so much for this video Antoine!

[@jwilthil]

The best description of Summers playing I have seen. Great work!😊

[@avimukta1]

Excellent lesson!

[@marcohermans3207]

Very very nice ....Yesterday I saw an explanation from Andy Summers in an interview with Rick Beato about The Police. This interview is also on youtube. His opening chord on walking on the moon is X53563. He doubles the F with his pinky on the 2nd string 6th fret. Live he doesn't do it always but you hear it in the studio version. You have a nice tone !!

[@Roonlovesfish3874]

Excellent lesson! Amazing tone!!

[@user-ym6ci2lw1s]

I could only wish for long fingers to stretch to all those frets. Awesome video.

[@thebigleone1066]

Andy Summers is so good it hurts me. Seriously, the highest praise I can give a guitarist is they have interesting choices of notes and Andy is top of that mountain. (50 year guitar player)

[@SignificanceOfThePassageOfTime]

Andy Summers gave me Carpal Tunnel. True story.

[@iainholmes2735]

Very nice analysis. Lovely chords.

[@sash7551]

Welll done !!!!

[@tomferguson3981]

Wild riffs man

[@jaybd9329]

great teaching Antoine - subscribed!

[@bogdanradwanski9417]

Great material Antoine.Thanks a lot.

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

My pleasure!

[@Musicman3832]

He does use chorus a lot on synchronicity, but used an electric mistress flanger before 1981. Nailed that synchronicity tone though.

[@pjrodzjr2790]

Dude, really cool lesson I liked and enjoy your video. Thanks for taking your time to share with us your knowledge. 👍👍👍

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

My pleasure :-)

[@chadb1176]

THANK YOU, Antoine! You are inspiring me to become a better musician.

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

I'm honored!

[@guylaforce4266]

Excellent

[@douglasXwilliams]

hey Antoine... I appreciate your courses and videos like these. I learn a lot from you and have made a lot of progress. Also, this video just popped up as i was reading Andy Summers' book, "One Train Later" and like your description of his chords, he wrote about his chord style "I never play a chord as a straight triadic harmony but always add another note or two -- a suspension or a minor or major second because it gives the chords an expressionistic and mystical power." Thanks again!

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

That's very cool, thanks for sharing!

[@jasonkesser]

Great teacher, you need slot more subs man

[@mojito6629]

IMO we can see The Police's Andy Summer's chords 'power', especially his signature atmospheric ones, were far more 'crazy' on less popular songs like "Tea In The Sahara", "Shadows In The Rain", "Burn For You" etc. Either recorded in studio or in live concert. And I also always love how he does 'solo guitar part' of many songs, not with 'in your face' lead melody type of solo, but instead using 'chords' or 'texture' for that purpose. Genius!

[@daniellapointe3091]

vraiment cool merci Antoine

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Ça fait plaisir, Daniel!

[@joeprogrock]

Thanks You are an extremely great guitarist and human

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Thank you 🤗

[@bronzeageancientone4844]

I love the Police so much and I just can't play those four and five fret chords. Arthritis is not your friend.

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Yes, those are not the easiest chords for sure - but Andy Summers' style is a lot more than those stretchy chords, as you can learn in this lesson!

[@michaelanthony9068]

I feel you, my brother. Arthritis sucks.

[@artemisnite]

Andy was such a sado-masochist.

[@coz109]

Great video! What chorus are you using? It sounds spot on!

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Strymon Ola. Thanks!

[@BlueDjiin]

Awesome video Antoine ! What pedal(s) are you using to get Andy Summers sound

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

It's mainly the Strymon Ola (chorus pedal)

[@softpillow9596]

I read somewhere that "Walking on the moon" was initially called "Walking in my room", which referred to the hotel room where Sting wrote it.

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

That was not very catchy... good decision to change the song name 😂

[@softpillow9596]

@@AntoineMichaudGuitar 😆

[@davidboreham]

Back then we were told it was punk, but actually it was jazz.

[@tjnugent62]

They don't play it in Ab, they play it in G. Watch the Rick Beato interview with Andy. He shows everything.

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

What chorus are you using here?

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Strymon Ola

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

@@AntoineMichaudGuitar thank you very much! it's lovely.

[@slesher84]

hey guys let's cloud together play polis themes andy sumers all the parties of tomorrow in general!

[@jacquesmertens3369]

Very nice tutorial. Thank you. I just wonder whether you find it normal that you present something without showing your face. I guess you wanted to focus on the guitar, but never showing your face is a bit weird. By the way: I'm struck by the accuracy of the sound. It sounds exactly like Andy's sound. Do you have a video on the gear you use and the settings? That would be most appreciated.

[@naldorgarnier]

The second chord It's not an Ebmaj the chord is a F6

[@kingsecho3351]

Everything sounded correct except de do do do do da da. The verse part is more staccato for the groove. The first two chords didn’t sound correct on the intro.