Why this riff is actually GENIUS! (THE POLICE)

There's a little more to this riff than I thought! Let me show you why Message in a Bottle definitely an EPIC RIFF!
▶SUPPORT THE CHANNEL◀
/ pauldavids
▶FOLLOW ME◀
Instagram: / pauldavidsguitar
▶MY COURSES◀
Beginner: learnpracticeplay.com
Intermediate: nextlevelplaying.com
Acoustic: acousticadventure.com
Loop Course: www.loopschool.com
▶GUITAR◀
Fender Telecaster
▶AMP◀
Kemper Profiling Amp
▶MIDI CONTROLLER◀
Ableton Push 2
Hi, my name is Paul Davids! I am a guitar player, teacher, producer, and overall music enthusiast from the Netherlands! I try to inspire people from all over the world with my videos, here on KZbin.
If you want to know more about me, check out PaulDavidsGuitar.com or check out my guitar courses at: learnpracticeplay.com and nextlevelplaying.com, and acousticadventure.com
Thank you for watching!
Paul
Below is the gear and services I use to make these videos. They redirect to websites and provide me with a small kickback should purchase any of these things.
▶GEAR LIST◀
www.amazon.com/shop/pauldavids
▶SFX & Background music◀
share.epidemicsound.com/paulda...
▶MICS◀
Vocal mic - amzn.to/31cqGqv
Guitar mic 1 - amzn.to/3nSRaF8
Guitar mic 2 - amzn.to/3jWbX9C
▶SOUND◀
Soundcard - amzn.to/2xk7pSM
DAW - amzn.to/2fhPZjz
▶VIDEO GEAR◀
Camera: amzn.to/3mBMtjF
16-35mm: amzn.to/3BxcKUJ
24mm: amzn.to/2ZV5pkO
35mm: amzn.to/3bByRid
50mm:
85mm: amzn.to/2Y950dV
24-105: amzn.to/2ZJTqWQ

[@gidon00]

My friend and I were in a band together and we were learning message on a bottle. We had a dispute over what notes we were hearing. Now looking back, I think we were both right. 😃

[@westprogamer3294]

Those were the days when there were no slow down software and no youtube tutorials and reliable tabs were difficult to comeby. We use cassete tapes and pause and play try to figure it all out by ear.

[@tribu1071]

@@westprogamer3294 yes cassette tapes,pause and play... old is cool!

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

I was thinking chorus/ some sort of detuned effect, but I don’t listen to the band so I’ve only heard the song randomly over my life.

[@Lahtiman81]

@@westprogamer3294 Notes are for musicians, tabs are for amateurs.

[@jeanclaudejaycee9599]

@@westprogamer3294 play, pause, rewind.. and play again, until we fetched it..

[@starblazer5178]

Learning this song years ago a guy at our local music store told me you'll never play it right without the harmony. So he had me play the riff we all know and he played the harmony. It blew my mind

[@DavidLazarus]

I'll bet it would be cool to hear Tony Levin play it on Chapman Stick.

[@bobsurface908]

Yeah, I had jazz jerks try to tell me it was all played live with add9/13 chords and stuff with crazy jazz fingerings. I watched live vids, and thought it was nuts because he never played any of that stuff. Of course, now I know he was playing overdubs on the album. Jazz jerks: told you so.

[@AlexG-xl1cc]

It comes in too hard with the first note, you can tell this right away, it's not surprising.

[@groovefretboard]

You just jam along to master it

[@MikeBracewell]

Played harmonically, that riff is actually achingly beautiful. It rips your heart out. I'm ancient enough to remember when Message first came out. Never would have thought it was so cool after four decades. Paul, you're a star.

[@willfedder864]

It’s may favorite riff off all time. My dad introduced me to the Police as a 13 year old and I stretched my fingers to the absolute limit to get play it. To this day it’s one of the first riffs m I reach for when I pick up a new guitar. I’ve been trying to capture that harmony and I always thought I was doing a good job, but I was just adding one of the notes in there

[@johnpeeler2733]

Totally agree!!! The riff is cool but the harmonic riffs are just so much fuller of emotion. Rips your heart out is Well Said!!!

[@Jones607]

I also like to watch it being played.

[@judwatkins9478]

It takes a lot of patience and skill to parse this riff, but PD is the man for the job!

[@jimlahey3919]

Obviously Stewart is one of the greatest drummers of all time but can we all agree that Andy Summers is insanely underrated? His guitar is as much a part of the police sound as stings voice or Stewart’s drums.

[@jshphysicistatyahoo]

I could listent to the Police just to hear Stewart Copeland alone - wow! And Summers was and is insanely underated as you wrote. And if you listen to KZbin personality Rick Beato, Sting is the second come Christ of pop music.

[@drooskeedoo3388]

He is a great textural guitarist, but I find his attempts at soloing pretty terrible.

[@HangsLopsided]

@@drooskeedoo3388 Driven To Tears, would be an exception. He wanted an "angry solo" in response to the human suffering in the lyrics... one of the most unique solos I've heard.

[@Honeythebeebee]

@@drooskeedoo3388 In live yes, often. But some solos like in Message In a Bottle, So Lonely, Next To You, It's Alright For You, Bombs Away, No Time This Time and even Peanuts are pretty good!

[@dthorne4602]

@@drooskeedoo3388 Sting wouldn't didn't want any solos in Police songs, because they can be so cheesy and often take away from the actual song. That's why he only got a few over the years, and all of them were non-standard, he was trying to make solos that were unlike other solos of the era...which were nearly all - cheesy.

[@cif89]

The moment you said “harmony” and “message in a bottle” I yelled I KNEW IT! In my mind I felt always like I was missing something, thanks for pointing it out!!

[@jonathanivanov8520]

I had the exact same man!!

[@MrSylicious]

Same it sounds diferent from all the live versions from the song compared to the recorded one.

[@josephnettleton1]

It felt off when I played it but I couldn’t place why

[@quelmattia7961]

Same broooo

[@Aidan.w]

Same, I always thought it was some weird trickery with a chorus pedal that I couldn't figure out xD

[@davidsax4460]

This perfectly illustrates why Andy Summers is one of the criminally most underappreciated guitarists of his generation - or any generation. Still my most magical post-concert moment was running into him and Stewart Copeland having a quiet drink at a dimly-lit bar in Downtown Houston, circa 2007 for the Police Reunion Tour. They couldn't have been more down-to-earth and sincerely thanked me and my friends for coming to the show.

[@Geotubest]

That's so cool to hear. Stewart Copeland does seem like a great guy... indeed Andy Summers too. It's always nice to hear when the musicians that inspire you are also down to Earth people willing to give some of their time to people who appreciate their work.

[@squareversesine]

Sting wrote the riff/harmony, not Andy

[@user-ct1ns6zw4z]

@@squareversesine yes, there’s a great video on here of sting explaining his writing process and playing the harmony

[@Crabtronics]

@@user-ct1ns6zw4z I live in Houston

[@Marilynrocker]

@@squareversesine No, I think you are wrong, Sting wrote the song with rather boring chords, but Andy came up with the riff, rather spontaneously I hear

[@thevelointhevale1132]

If you listen to the Zenyatta album with headphones there are SOOOOO many incredibly subtle and nuanced things Andy does with his guitar parts that actually MAKE the songs jump ... the guy is the definition of understated genius. Andy in the 80's was the Rock Guitar Anti Hero ...

[@linsayspence7070]

Yes, Andy Summers is a real innovator.

[@matthewleone7941]

He and his good childhood friend Robert Fripp!! They’re in the same category imo. Their collab albums are amazing.

[@giri.goyo_yt]

Yes! Do a search on Andy’s solo efforts right after the breakup - so very innovative and lush.

[@zealobiron]

If you haven't listened to a song with headphones, then you've never heard it.

[@mrsherwood2599]

Absolutely. These crazy, interlocking things. I even listened to "It's All Right For You" from the second album on loud headphones and the guitar arranging was so creative and punchy. Amazing.

[@patricktalley4185]

This was one of the first songs my college band learned together in 1985. I always thought the tonal harmony in the riff was part of Andy Summers’ choice of chorus effects - which I figured were more sophisticated (and expensive) than what my second hand Boss Super Chorus could produce. I had no idea Andy had doubled his guitar with a composed harmonic riff. Brilliant! Thanks, Paul.

[@professorpedropontes4402]

That Chorus is an excellent pedal, though.

[@dthorne4602]

I'm sure that he used effects, especially chorus, to start hearing these kind of interactions in real time over the years, and then just became adept at composing parts this way.

[@snapsnappist4529]

@@dthorne4602 He also used a Roland Jazz Chorus amp extensively. It's trademark "out of tune" sound is all over Zenyatta Mondatta, though I'm not sure if he used one on Regatta de Blanc.

[@sleepyheadz]

Paul, there are many youtube musicians that I enjoy, but there's something more than being a musician about you. You have a gift in connecting with people. Almost every other channel gets a little jaded from time to time, but your videos have such authenticity about it, that it's no longer about how amazing your content is, but enjoying how wonderful you are as a person. I'm glad you're doing what you're doing. I thank your maker for you!

[@genepoole1771]

p.s. Saint Wretched was fondling himself as he wrote this.

[@voornaam3191]

Here is somebody falling in musician! How cute.

[@ericpeterson9336]

agree... to be a great guitar player ( which he is ) and to be able to "convey" to the audience ( which he does) ... he doesnt have many equals in my book... one of the greatest tricks I learned from him which seems like a "no brainier" was to go to the little "cog-wheel" icon on you tube and slow down the playback speed of videos ( because I dont have time or equipment to sample each note etc) ...he is very good :)

[@ericpeterson9336]

@@voornaam3191 dont understand your grammer, can you clarify?

[@chilipalmer2428]

What a nice thing to say. I agree.

[@neilmurrell281]

Andy Summers has always been criminally underrated he is a master of his art.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Andy Summers has been frustrating my ears and brain all these years with that sort of subtle harmony work. ;)

[@TommasoPaba]

Actually, the riff was written by Sting. :)

[@CorbCorbin]

@@TommasoPaba Everyone forgets he is an excellent guitar player too.

[@gibsonduvall]

Can I ask you how you know and also explain why you believe he's underrated? I never understand why folk leave comments saying people, as in this example, are "underrated", when just by saying that it clearly means they're not. If you like music in the slightest you will know this song and AS has been a massive part of the history of music in one of the biggest bands in the world and therefore known and appreciated by millions. I'm pretty sure most, if not all in the music business rate him quite highly, as I'll also suggest will music lovers in general.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@gibsonduvall Summers never got the same level of constant adulation in the guitar press that many other "guitar heroes" of his era did. And the average person listening to the radio in their car is just not as interested in this stuff as we are. They remember hooks and melodies, and the frontman. And they know a relatively few massively popular guitarists like Hendrix and EVH, that's about it. I'm certain you're correct that most or all "in the know" respect him, but that's really a very small number of people in a country of 300+ million.

[@kocurel]

Paul, this is most in depth humanly explained analyze of a song I've ever seen. As somebody who strips down the structures of pop songs to test why they work the way they do I tip my hat. This is was next level music spy mission.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

"analysis", not analyze. {:o:O:}

[@christopherwright8811]

Don't forget Mr Beato, now, will you?!

[@nashgarcia4490]

Those harmonys melt so beautifully together. I had never noticed the complexity It took to achieve simplicity on the phrase . Mind blowing!

[@phoneix24886]

The Police had some of the coolest riffs humanity has collectively ever produced!

[@DandanGallagher]

It is a tremendous unjustice to credit the human collectivity for The Police riffs being that Andy Summers is the sole responsible for them and he is clearly an alien.

[@cdubbau135]

This and Do do do do de da da da are two of my favorites. And Synchronicity 2.

[@AndrewFerguson1]

@@cdubbau135 I know exactly what song this is lmao

[@cdubbau135]

@@AndrewFerguson1 I was referencing what the guy was teaching, which was Message in a Bottle.

[@annakeye]

@@cdubbau135 I loathed Do do do do de da da da when I first heard it. I am sitting here now, trying to recall which was the stand out album for me, and I'm really hard pushed. These 3 blonde guys changed music and I think they all brought something unique with them. There's simply no getting past Andy Summer's guitar playing but I have to wonder if Gordon's voice hadn't shrilled our eardrums with Roxanne, if they would've become the mega rock gods that they should've been acknowledged as. I both loved and loathed Roxanne. As a fifteen year old, I heard it and as an aspiring punk who loved reggae, it was pushing my buttons at the time. Then I read critics talking shit about the band, simply because they didn't fit into any real genre except 'rock'. Not punk rock, not reggae, not pop, just everything in one technically exceptional trio. I was hooked.

[@rickjensen2717]

Andy explained this as stacking fifths and then adding the harmony that his mate Robert Fripp would have provided when they used to jam together - great sound!

[@pech3617]

Did not realise that Fripp was a friend of the Police

[@12opsynths]

Check out their "I Advance Masked" Collab for some interesting stuff...

[@birdman4274]

He also explained the left hand as 'Marching Soldiers' as they walk up and down the fret board. I used to play this, but it's quite hard work on the LH.

[@birdman4274]

Sting explains it here at the Montserrat studio with Jools Holland kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZqQqnyMqKl8ms0

[@rickjensen2717]

@@carbonatedlifeform It was in a video on youtube a few years back - not sure if I could find it again. He was talking mainly about his style now which is modern jazz.

[@martinbrandt6079]

Message in a Bottle came out when I was a sophomore in high school. It sounded totally different from everything else we were hearing on rock radio-Zeppelin, Skynyrd, etc.-so stripped down and frenetic, combined with the look of Sting’s spiky, bleached hair, that a lot of us thought of them as punk. We were wrong, of course, and this video shows us the level of musical sophistication lurking just beneath the surface of the punk trappings. Thanks!

[@bigtalk2598]

Old classic rock fan. I distinctly remember early Police, and definitely considered them punk-like, but not truly punk. Their sound was very distinctive, and thus appealing.

[@joeyrogerson83]

Please don't use punk as a pejorative. There are tons of plenty capable and innovative musicians playing under the punk umbrella, just listen a little deeper and wider.

[@Habeev07]

I loved their almost Reggae sound quality. They almost always had this fun energetic reggae sound that was unlike anything before and after. "Cant stand losing you" is one my favs.

[@maximan4363]

@@joeyrogerson83 The Police were never Punk! Progressive rock? Maybe but not really! Or just something different! But it was beautiful and very clear!!! RUSH 2012 blows my mind but the mix on RUSH The Twilight Zone is awesome! Listening to this with headphones in my bed at twelve in in 1982, it changed my world!!! Bloody amazing!!!!🤯

[@domhutton7779]

Great video. There was a BBC documentary "Police in Monserrat" back in the early 80'swhere Sting actually explains this to a bewildered Jools Holland. I recorded the tv show to a tape recorder back in the day and spent hours learning these riffs when I was 13 :-) Thanks for your channel Paul!

[@chriller666]

Riff, harmonies, bewildered Jools, in all it's glory: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZqQqnyMqKl8ms0

[@domhutton7779]

@@chriller666 yes indeed! great find ! Incidentally the live version of Message in a bottle (only found on the Wrapped Around Your Finger 12" - With "I Burn for You" (another masterpiece!). Anyway on this live version recorded somewhere around 1982-3 Andy uses a harmonizer (i think pretty new and amazing tech from Eventide at the time) and you hear the 2 part harmonies clearly. Its also one of the best latter recordings of Message in a Bottle, quite a difference from the 1979 Hatfield Polytechnic first televised version.

[@ivanjulian2532]

@@chriller666 ahh yes... filmed during Sting's brief "sniffle phase" in his life.

[@grapplehoeker]

Something like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZqQqnyMqKl8ms0

[@DiscoFang]

@@chriller666 Fantastic. Thanks for the link. I think I remember this from TV back then or it may be another interview. I remember Sting telling Jools to "start playing that piano, or you'll look like a bloody idiot" or something like that.

[@leokimvideo]

Andy Summers was the John Paul Jones of The Police.

[@archangelo536]

is

[@prodevus]

Andy Summers was the Jimi Hendrix of the Stooges

[@paulfraser1971]

@@prodevus Andy Summers is Andy Summers of The Police.

[@suburbanindie]

All three members are phenomenal talents

[@guitarist2463]

Clearly the Sid Vicious of Queen

[@jmorrisey79]

I always liked The Police but gained an even bigger respect for them when I tried learning their songs. They sound deceivingly simple. My fretting hand still gets tired and sore quickly trying to play this song. Definitely wish I had practiced more.

[@kiwischolz9811]

That's what you get, when you let a bass player write songs for the guitar ^^

[@SoneNando]

@@kiwischolz9811 Andy summers still wrote the riffs, sting wrote the melodies

[@SoneNando]

They have some pretty complex songs. "Murder by numbers" has a complex chord progression, great melody and complex drum patterns

[@Mustaine1ify]

@@SoneNando Correct. I'am a drummer and some of Copelands patterns and rhythms are very tricky (well for me anyway) The Police were a long way from being a Three Chord post -punk band. All very talented musicians.

[@alexander_winston]

@jmorrisey79….Andy Summers is a classically trained guitarist. During the punk era, those skills were frowned upon and Andy went to great lengths to conceal them!

[@FacePomagranate]

I definitely remember seeing that harmony in a Powertab I downloaded many years ago - wouldn't say people are playing it wrong, it's just that most people don't have 4 hands!

[@Foodgeek]

Seriously. People need to adapt and grow more hands, as needed 🤣

[@AlexanderIgnatiev]

Your analysis of this is great. It's wonderful to see how you did it versus how Rick Beato did it. A treat to have two such talented musicians dissect one of my favorite songs.

[@rectify2003]

Rick Beato is also a very talented kind man, loved by many

[@druidjuicer636]

I DID hear this back when I was 12 and trying to learn this song. My older brother was happy playing the accepted riff fluently but I was just annoyed that it didn't sound 'right'! You've solved a 40 year old mystery- thank you :) I knew there was a harmony in there but untangling it from a vinyl recording was nigh on impossible.

[@deanmathieson735]

Agreed - I knew there was more to it, but pulling it out of the vinyl was really hard.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

So you never had the pleasure of pulling a riff off cassette tape then? For me It gave me all that much more reason to not try and copy, and come up with my own stuff. I mean shit, I listened to Zappa, King crimson and that sort of thing. Makes lifting up and placing the needle (which I also did sometimes) a lot easier, and then it wore out the records and the needle faster! Now it's a cinch!

[@druidjuicer636]

@@Bob-of-Zoid I was a teenager in the 80s so cassette was actually the thing at the time. But Regatta de Blanc was a bit older and my older brother had it on vinyl. He's now a company executive and doesn't play guitar anymore. I however am still a musician. Kind of broke; kind of working; doing some gigs. Who won: me or my older brother? I think I won this battle but he maybe won the war :D

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

@@druidjuicer636 Not all that uncommon. I am a guitar builder of the kind who when learning was also studying electrical and mechanical engineering (Machine engineering). The books I was learning guitar building from went against the sciences I was learning about "Tonewood" and all of the nonsense that supposedly effects the tone of the instrument... Even where true, the quantification of the effects was all wrong, and it seemed they understood the basics, but often never did the actual math and were often looking at things backward, and so energy loss in one frequency gets reported of amplification of the others... As my fret jobs got more accurate and I can deliver more stable necks and more accurate fret boards entirely by hand, in industry the tolerances for what is considered a low action has gone up because they can only go so low because of physics, but want to create the illusion of ever better results when no amount of CNC mashining can change that, and their accuracy is useless when used on woods that are not dry enough... but hey they can pop them out en mass for ever lower prices and many (everyone and their dog) is now making guitars because it's easy: Only when you cut corners and sell a false sense of what is good. I was using carbon fiber in my necks, 2 way truss rods, full access cutaways, stainless steel frets, fine tuners, no string past the saddles and nut, alternative woods and other materials, high tech glues... all the way back in the 80's. These are things more than sufficiently shown beneficial, and yet are still not offered on a great many instruments flooding the market, and those plecked fret jobs are worthless, after the low wage badly trained and treated people doing the final sanding and polishing throws the geometry off, which the Machine cannot do yet, or it all goes to shit in time as the wood dries. I get so many great looking instruments in for repair that are hard or near impossible to play, where the owners have to learn the hard way, that no amount of better hardware and electronics can make up for that, and a truss rod adjustment can't do jack shit for individual high/low frets, and yet countless self proclaimed guitar gurus on social media just plow forward spreading bullshit, because it's what people want to hear above actual understanding. Their channels grow, while the few skeptics and debunkers channels who don't fall for it are stagnant or gone already, and anyone new who tries to spread the actual reality are slaughtered by faith based believers. I knew that would happen, and it's why I don't have content, I just troll believers! (

[@druidjuicer636]

@@Bob-of-Zoid Interesting! I've witnessed my fair share of circular, unending arguments about which design or materials features effect which variables. And whilst I've played some actually beautiful sounding instruments that were cheaply made, it's not how you'd choose to go about designing something to sound beautiful no matter how many iterations of the design you made. It's more like blind luck than "refinement". But once you get close to what your ear perceives as perfect, even the promise of some near imperceptible improvement becomes desirable. People become obsessed and I think this is the changing room the Emperor takes his clothes off in. Cheers

[@Rockingruvin]

Andy is a genius, as is Sting and Stewart. Phenomenally gifted and talented musicians… written off by half a generation because they weren’t metal. Truly one of the greatest bands of all time.

[@jamesharris6960]

Metal is for children.

[@Chancho_Villa]

@@jamesharris6960I'm sure your genius is just unrecognized.

[@AidanMillward]

Would have said Stewart and Andy are phenomenally gifted musicians written off by half a generation because Sting took all the credit.

[@Rockingruvin]

@@AidanMillward No doubt Sting took the lion’s share, but he was the hit maker, and you can’t deny he’s extraordinarily talented and gifted. Andy and Stewart would agree. Yeah Sting seems a bit too pompous at times but the guy is unquestionably a genius.

[@jessebrennan7130]

I've always loved the Police! Along with Yes, Rush, Genesis and Jethro Tull.

[@GreenHoleSun]

Andy Summers is underrated... He is the kind of guitarist who is not terribly virtuoso but does the right thing (his own thing) at the right time...and nothing is the same any more.

[@mattiasorre1718]

probably fairly virtuosic when it comes to chords etc

[@ramoncabrerapadilla]

Thanks for illustrating that; I was always fascinated by that intro but I couldn't figure out melodically what was happening, because the poliphony appears to clash in moments but always falls back on it's feet. Excellent work Paul, and Andy.... pure genius

[@WeLuv9x5]

Andy is a criminally underrated guitarist! One of the most perfect trios ever recorded!

[@buzzlightwork]

Facts

[@ericpeterson9336]

I know in my heart as a musician...any one of those guys could have sat in any one of those positions...but ...to find the other 2 guys...and then decide...ok... I will be the drummer... I will be the guitar player ...oh...ok... I guess I will play bass... Im just saying...all 3 are genius's ....Andy was the one as a guitar player I went for as a "listener" ...but then... I think you know what I mean ...... I agree with your comment ..I have the flu right now...hope not rambling :)

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

I agree but Sting wrote this riff

[@gabrielloyola4429]

I think that's nowadays. Back in the beginning of the 80's, Andy Summers' style and tone (chorus and delays included) was one of the most imitated by young players. Here in South America, in Argentina and Chile, and maybe Brazil too, there were hundreds of new bands with a huge influence by The Police, most of them trios.

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

@@gabrielloyola4429 That is very true. Another player who used similar effects during the same era was James Honeyman Scott who played for The Pretenders.

[@MegaIceeagle]

I'm glad you've covered this! My brother spotted the harmony many decades ago while listening on headphones and transcribed it from CD - really fills the sound out. We used to cover this song during pub gigs in the UK in the late 1990s/early 2000s and played this harmony when there were two guitarists in the band. After almost every performance while packing up, someone in the audience would ask what we were doing, or why we had added an extra guitar, or some question to that effect. It was often challenging to convince them that we were simply playing the harmony already in the song - hopefully they went away and discovered it after subsequent listens. Sadly this was before days of ubiquitous internet connection so it was difficult to reconnect with people after an event to follow up.

[@stevevalencia2450]

That chord progression is absolutely genius to me

[@TobyFalla]

Thank you for another great video Paul! 🤘🙏

[@The_Macaroon]

Thanks for unlocking this, makes sense 40 years later lol. This also shows just how good Andy Summers was putting stuff like this in a pop song. Genius

[@IAM_Reedy]

My bandmates and I figured this out decades ago, props to you hearing it. We killed a few cassette tapes figuring out that album. The opening bars are two guitars playing melody and harmony. A 61’ Tele going through a Marshall JMP and a 61’ Strat through a Roland JC-120. The Tele playing the melody and Strat Harmony. After the opening bars the Strat switches from harmony arpeggios to reggae style stabs and sweeps. Very cool stuff; very subtle but extremely powerful. Live (and on the music video) he plays only the melody riff on his 61’ Sunburst Tele going through twin Marshall JMP’s with the Electric Mistress pedal, MXR Dyna Compressor and very slight MXR 90 phaser. Had a chance in 1982 to check out his live rig in person. Pure genius is right! Andy is amazing. But Nigel Gray (producer / engineer) needs to get the credit for the idea to overdub the guitar with the harmony riff.

[@1DaTJo]

You’re right, Andy made up guitar parts that were so unique, inventive and beautiful sounding!

[@Nyquest]

@@1DaTJo Yes Nigel Gray (GP) at Surrey Sound was part of this too, sadly no longer with us, I did have contact with his Son & on his Dad's passing told him I thought his Dad's work with The Police should be recognised more than it is.

[@821marko]

Summer's ending riffs I always found so haunting, like a heartache that you cannot find a remedy for...listening to it only kills you but you never want to leave

[@willmink5635]

You literally opened my ears to the harmonies. I truly never heard them before tonight. Thanks brother!

[@ccaputa]

"So Lonely" is another (among many) great examples of Andy Summers genius.

[@RickKasten]

Might be favorite song by them

[@jones848]

Has some of the best vocal harmonies I've heard too

[@mrsmirnoff8715]

Quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life was a pissed Japanese businessman singing this at Karaoke.

[@sweetwater94]

im very sure sting wrote both riffs, check out his interview with jools holland. But Andy Summers surely brought the perfect sound for this song.

[@cianciaway883]

@@sweetwater94 I remember that interview.. it was definitely Sting's idea which proves once again what a genius he is

[@tresstre1457]

I always knew there was a harmony, thanks for finding it. Sheer brilliance from the Police. My favorite riff of all time, right up there with "Don't fear the Reaper".

[@grahamtaylor8912]

Check out The Revenge of Vera Gemini, off the same album as Don't fear the Reaper.

[@Bryt25]

DFTR riff is humanly playable tho! Love it too.

[@youbigtubership]

Dang, dude, now I'm hearing cowbell in Message in a Bottle. I'll never unhear it.

[@punkaffair5899]

MORE COWBELL !

[@stevecrockett6619]

Fascinating breakdown, Paul! This doesn't just make a person enjoy the song more, it also makes you appreciate all music...what makes it special and what it takes to create amazing and memorable musical moments! Thank you so much for this worthy example :)

[@lp2934]

Listening to these videos, it's hard to separate the brilliance of the songs you look at with the brilliance with how you present and demonstrate your analysis - I agree with others that listening to you play the harmonised riff at around 6 mins is beautiful to listen to; even more amazing that it's almost lost/overlooked when you listen to the original. Please keep enlightening us!

[@mitch_k7520]

I always heard this harmony part when listening to the song. I never properly processed that it was an overdubbed harmony part. What a genius he is. Thanks for making the video 😊

[@chriskennard5920]

Walked out this morning, I don't believe what I heard - a hundred billion harmo notes for every guitar nerd - - - Excellent stuff Paul, enjoyed this!

[@falconeaterf15]

I will play a minor 3rd to the world. I will play a minor 3rd for the world.

[@TheStimpy60]

Great video Paul, thank you. Always loved that riff and song. My favorite part is the last minute or so when Andy plays really cool bends over the riff in the outro

[@vb2388]

All 3 are geniuses in their own way.. Police are often overlooked when talking about greatest bands of all time..

[@LexanderMiller]

That’s because their songs weren’t good enough to keep them as popular as “the greatest bands of all time”. They could technically be the best musicians of all time but if they can’t write a bunch of timeless classics like the GOATs, then the band itself wasn’t at the top. Nothing against The Police. Great band, and I’m sure you’re right about their musicianship, but not the greatest. For all the late comers. Who’s songs do you know more of, Queen or The Police? Guns n Roses or The Police? Jimi Hendrix or The Police? Led Zepplin or The Police? Like I said, are they a good band? Absolutely. Should they be considered “one of the best bands of all time”? Absolutely not. But that’s ok. I love Florence and the Machine and Justice. Are they the best bands of all time? Hell no. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t love them and value them as highly as I do.

[@vb2388]

@@LexanderMiller “can’t write a bunch of timeless classics” Every Breath You Take Message In A Bottle Walking On The Moon Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic So Lonely Roxanne And if you don’t want the classics but equally timeless songs.. Voices In My Head Spirits In A Material World Can’t Stand Losing You Wrapped Around Your Finger Invisible Sun Walking On The Moon King of Pain Bed’s Too Big Without You Omegaman Synchronicity I Synchronicity II Walking On Your Footsteps Don’t Stand So Close To Me

[@jones848]

@@LexanderMiller You really don't know what you're talking about to be honest. The Police were probably the biggest band of the 80s, they split up after Synchronicity which meant they didn't have a very long career together (though as individual musicians arw still going) but given the amount of time they were together they had an insane impact on music. The Police should be in any greatest bands of all time list because they are, great songs, great musicians, easily on par with the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, U2, The Doors, etc.

[@weschilton]

@@LexanderMiller LOL, you really don't know much do you?

[@LexanderMiller]

@@jones848 yet, they aren't. Rolling Stone has them ranked 70th, Louder sound doesn't even them have them ranked in the top 50 rock artists. Parade has them 46th. RadioX doesn't have them listed. You can say "they're the best" or whatever because you think your opinion matters more than everyone else's, but the reality is most the world doesn't agree. Hard to be the "Greatest of all Time" if you can't even break the top 40 on any list.

[@midstar1820]

Playing it just as the chords sounds like it could go into post-rock or shoegaze, or even doom lmao I love it. The electric mistress flanging both guitars glues them together sooooo well. I don't think it's very well known that Andy Summers is a studied jazz and classical guitarist, and his voicings and riffs are so unique because of this!

[@JuiCeBoX19]

You're right. Now this song is called "message in a battle of crystalline glass made of sand that once were the rocks carrying the earth"

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

He was a prolific studio session player, too! Changed the landscape at the time when it came to what a guitarist could do with effects, chord voicing and guitar playing!!!

[@momentArhythm]

yeah i could totally see the chords of the main + harm fitting into a song by Itsue or MasuDore easy

[@alannedelec2714]

There are solid reasons why some guitarists (including Ed O'Brien) are fans of Andy Summers

[@cody3335]

Doom lol

[@nautje]

Like others here, I always knew there was a harmony there, because I could hear it in the ground notes, but I never thought it would be this complex and awesome. Nice find, thanks.

[@inchworm2402]

Likewise. I could hear the harmony line when the song was getting radio airplay. I just had to buy the album.

[@selenabartok2500]

I once had a massage in a brothel but it was nowhere near as good as this song! Well done my man! Excellent instruction

[@TimmehTRP]

lmao

[@muchanadziko6378]

The way he sings it sounds like „nie stać cię na baton” to a polish speaker Which basically means „you can’t afford a chocolate bar”

[@LNM0000]

Lol 😆😆

[@ChickenatorJr]

@@muchanadziko6378 This is incredible

[@stevefielding8324]

Paul, I practice this riff nearly every day as a warm up, and I always wondered why it doesn't sound quite right (apart from my crap playing). Thank you for your amazing work pulling apart these classic sounds for us to improve our knowledge and understanding.

[@jonkerrmusic]

This is one of the best riffs ever written; I have played it with piles of different tone settings and it sounds awesome no matter what.

[@johnnywhite274]

This is a song I "discovered" in Jr. HIGH back in 1987. The riff and the lyrics really spoke to me. I was fortunate to watch The Police in 2008 and Message was the 1st song they played. I cried so hard coz of what it meant to me and how it was a time machine to my youth

[@balajiram15]

You are a genius! Not only is your analysis of beautiful music sublime, I feel your presentation is itself exemplary. You are awesome and love your videos!

[@donny2327]

Master Summers has spoken in the past about this harmony on top of the studio recording. I bought the single in 79. Fine analysis. (try playing 7 Nation A when playing the chorus notes on the bass line on Message. Fun.)

[@TMAGE33]

When Sting plays this song solo, he often lets the E strings resonnates alone during the main riff to add tension and remind the audience of this harmony in thé studio version ! Works really well !!

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I'm fascinated to learn that, because I was just thinking that might be a good way to sort of "cheat."

[@Honestandbrokecameraguy]

I do this by accident 😤😤💪💪

[@joshuaevans5943]

What? Stings the bassist. Missed the part of the song where’s there’s a huge bass solo, so you must be talking shite

[@Scarecrowmusic415]

@@joshuaevans5943 he means Sting as a solo artist, on an acoustic guitar

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@Honestandbrokecameraguy And that's a perfectly valid reason to play in keys that fit what your guitar is tuned to, or use a capo. Mistakes from open strings just blend right in. Or of course you can actually use the un-fretted strings on purpose.

[@garydillon7028]

Wow.thanks so much for the details and subtle notation. Really great!

[@BBuckB]

Thank you for existing, man! Your content is gold! Cheers

[@jontybott1490]

When I was young, trying to figure a lot of songs out, subtle harmonies like this would torment me because I could hear there was more going on than I could understand or replicate on my own. Things like this are so inspiring once you start to appreciate what’s actually going on! Thanks so much for this video

[@ShorePlain]

This is absolutely amazing! I had no idea there were so many more layers to this riff, with a strong touch of melancholy in there that I haven't been able to pinpoint or explain. You made me understand one of my favorite songs ever with a lot more depth, and now I love it a much more as a result! ❤️

[@drgustavoleonidasverajanav8406]

Really genious!! I always note the different sound when playing the standard riff but never stop to analyze it as you did. Thank you! Cheers

[@gsf67]

You are correct, that is genius, aided by a little studio trickery. If a band like Thin Lizzy were doing this riff, they could pull it off, with their twin lead guitarists, one playing the melody, while the other plays the harmony notes. I had never heard this before.

[@lordporcupine8767]

Andy Summers is seriously one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

[@greysuit17]

And way underrated

[@TheEmac70]

Charming Snakes is one of my desert island records...

[@dyingforpie6879]

Just dont let him solo🤣

[@TheGeniegenius]

sting wrote the riff but yeah summers is amazing

[@joshuakrauskopf4998]

4:48 Love that transition! You put so much effort into your work, Just wow! thanks so much for sharing so interesting and high quality videos with us!!

[@coma13794]

The production value and level of thought is just incredible. Always has been with him.

[@misterpsparrowbabble]

Fascinating, Paul. Thank you very much!!

[@jeffbower8355]

Thanks so much! My ear was never quick enough to pick out the harmony. Later when I had the tools to slow it down I just never got around to it. The first half of the 2nd verse starts with just the lower part so I had that. Thanks to you I won’t have to spend an hour (or three) figuring out the higher part. And it was much more fun having you walk us through it. You communicate your own joy with playing in all of your videos, as others have mentioned. That keeps me watching your videos as much as your great content. Cheers!

[@jloost-gamer]

The first note struck me as weird in the past, and I thought it might have been a different note or overdubbing, but I never noticed that the entire RIFF was overdubbed with different notes. Thanks for a great vid as always!

[@Bryt25]

Yes the flange makes it harder to hear truly :-)

[@stephenburleson7827]

I hope everyone realizes how much work you put into breaking down that song with your pads and things. What you are doing in the video is half the work with the other being behind the scenes. Awesome video, man. I just discovered your channel and it's already one of my favorites.

[@adam872]

Andy Summers yet again showing what a great guitar player he is. The Police and their various solo acts have made all sorts of clever music.

[@Leatherfacet]

Yeah but Sting wrote it.

[@THX-vp9fz]

@@Leatherfacet He had basic ideas but the other both had their share at the songs also, they were not his slaves

[@patrickdepoortere6830]

I love having a new way of looking at and now playing one of the songs that inspired me to play. Thank you.

[@henkbleekersofficial7559]

Awesome vid! u can hear the difference really clearly when they start looping the main riff at the end of the song. It starts out without the harmony and then adds it in after one riff. It so subtle and perfect. Absolute genius

[@caryrodda]

The Police had very mind-blowing, but subtle musical parts in man of their songs. Thanks for highlighting this one!

[@damomendo8249]

Paul, it's taken 44 years for someone to unpack, explain and demonstrate what is going on in "Message In A Bottle". Unless Andy Summers says otherwise, I think you've nailed it! Well done and thank you. A joy to watch, listen, and learn :)

[@Patrick-857]

He recently confirmed there was a harmony part in an interview with Rick Beato.

[@JamesGarrickGuitar]

Can't believe I never noticed this before! When you played both parts at full tempo, it sounded magical. Great video!

[@timlloyd8034]

Hey Paul. Thanks so much for that message in a bottle guitar harmony demonstration. I've played guitar 35 years and that song was how I learnt about 'minor 9s' as I called them. I knew there was a harmony but couldn't quite identify it. Love your enthusiasm, cant wait for more vids. Much love, Tim

[@alancharles6789]

Certainly my favourite song of that era. I struggled and struggled to play it because I kept hearing the harmony notes in my head. If you watch the documentary that the police did in Montserrat, Sting actually plays it on a a black strat and records it & keeps it playing on a loop. He then chimes in with the harmony arpeggio. Genius really.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

Sting, not Andy Somers? I know that Sting can also play guitar, and keys too. Now I wonder how they did it live.

[@ninjaribanban3335]

The harmony is now what I can hear. Bravo for the musical mind expansion👏👏👏

[@jamiefunk5234]

That was brilliant! Thinking about it, I always felt there was something going on in that riff that I could not explain. You have explained it well and I've certainly learned something new!!!

[@ELACEBAL]

INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Listening this song for years and I knew there was a second guitar in the riff but never found out that magical harmony. Thanks a lot for the video Paul!!!

[@andreagandolfo6937]

each time I listen to message in a bottle my heart is full of joy. I love that song and the feeling the harmony gives me.

[@andreaschneider6202]

Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! All the best from another Andrea😊

[@firedawn]

Absolutely brilliant! Well done!

[@electricmessenger8825]

This is incredible Thank you! I never clued into the harmony going on so distinctly!

[@vladpadowicz5946]

Great video and brilliantly explained!! Being a huge Police fan from the beginning, back when I was 19, I always thought a harmoniser pedal with a tight delay was responsible for that sound. When I later began my career as an audio engineer I understood so much more of Stewart's genius.

[@douglassmithe9799]

When you slowed it down with those harmonies, it sounded hauntingly beautiful

[@saarin0tsorry]

I learned this as a teenager in the 80s and never once broke down why I never had it totally right. You blew my mind!

[@misterlarryb]

WOW, Paul, INCREDIBLE analysis!! TY TY TY! (And everything everyone else said!)

[@67er_matze97]

1) first concert ever in my life: The Police 1981 in my Hometown Ruesselsheim/Germany - I was 13 back then and man that was a good start ....and yes I remember they played this song back then :) 2) great lesson on a great riff 3) stellar playing 4) awesome tele !!

[@dadygee]

when you said "ho hoooo." I felt that.. It´s like pure music love is transfered through the frets/strings and you can almost feel the thickness of the resin that holds the copper wire in the pickups.. and a person without hands and ears would be able to play that riff with that guitar. To really get to know the songs you love and then the why is my passion. "Yeah, i know that this thing works, but why and how". Thank you!

[@valeriematthews-oo6ho]

The absolute genius of the Police is so underrated by many.❤

[@unplayedpiano7039]

That Minor Chord In The Riff…Take Me Away. What A Grab You Lifted Out Of This Sound. Fantastic ⚡️

[@lul.t.6831]

I always heard that tritone, since I can remember I picked it out immediately as the tension point of that riff. But I never thought of the extensions to all the power chords on the riff which is really cool to hear separated! You’re awesome bro

[@rawspaghetti9185]

Incredible !!! I’ve been listening and playing this song for 40 years , never noticed that harmony , Paul your a genius !!!!

[@ianrotten4453]

This is why The Police are my favorite band of all time (even though I'm an 80's Metalhead). A band before their time and their contemporaries by a long mile. Great video!

[@mitch2620]

Absolutely love this Channel! My dad was an accomplished guitarist and taught me to play. Miss you dad. He'd be in heaven watching this! Keep up the great work fella.

[@jockmcque3018]

Still one of my favourite bands. Love the bass riff to "when the world is running down" with Andy's insane crescendo happening in the background. Caught Sting 3 times, but unfortunately had to miss the reunion tour. You listening Sting :)

[@gregallan2464]

There's a great series of 3 interviews by Jools Holland when The Police were recording Ghost in the Machine at George Martin's studio in Montserrat. Sting breaks down the Message in a Bottle guitar harmonies in it. It wouldn't surprise me if the harmonies were actually his idea.

[@a2ndopynyn]

Rick Beato has done videos about what a harmonic and melodic badass Sting really is.

[@ericpeterson9336]

very few bands with bass players as the leading thing...what gets me is most average listeners ( not musicians like you and me ) dont get that the guy can actually sit down on a piano or anything else and get away with it..... the combination of those 3...yes.....3 guys ....real music Paul nails it to the masses :) on my way to try to find those interviews... perhaps a link? thanks :)

[@silencionomus]

I wouldn’t rule out Andy Summers entirely. That separated harmony guitar sounded 100% Summers. But correct me if I am wrong, didn’t Sting also play guitar on this track. I remember thinking “but isn’t he the bass player”? This might explain the two-part guitar harmony.

[@gregallan2464]

@@ericpeterson9336 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZqQqnyMqKl8ms0

[@FranBro]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZqQqnyMqKl8ms0 Sting wrote the harmony as well. Go to 3:50

[@finallyandrey]

Man, for years I’ve been feeling guilty for slowing things down and picking it up not by note, thinking if I had any sort of pitch recognition skills or talent for music - I wouldn’t have to be doing that. That’s despite playing music semi-professionally for a while. My biggest takeaway from here is that that’s okay and it’s a big relief. Here you go, a coming out nobody asked for, but thanks a lot, Paul.

[@Brikkyy13]

Man, your pitch recognition skills must be on point. I wish I could learn things that way. I’ll slow something down 1000 times over and still not be able to pick out the right notes.

[@inmundo6927]

its not only OK.. its "the way".. most jazz guitar players learn like that. Copying and transposing. You gotta play the first note then the second, and so on and so forth

[@kalamardotentaculoes9776]

Bravo!!!! Thanks for the analysis!!!!

[@user-yg4dr8po4p]

This guy is one of the best ears on KZbin. I love his attention to detail. It makes all the difference to playing. He's brilliant.

[@jimi6strings]

Paul, WOW. One of my favourite riffs of all time and I've been playing it for years and years. I never would have sussed that out and I always thought it just doesnt quite sound like the record. Absolute genius and a fantastic idea. Thanks so much for sharing this knowledge. I'm now practicing this using my ditto loop pedal.

[@ldelcarmen]

From classical to pop, harmony and specifically sophisticated harmony is what really stirs the soul. Andy Summers used his jazz chops and applied it to reggae, punk and rock. Fantastic demo 👍

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Indeed, without harmony, what have we got? Not a lot. Even my favorite raw, dirty, "unsophisicated" distorted guitar tones can be viewed as simply having different harmony than the same note/chord played clean, because the overtones etc add different harmony.

[@neilknutson7123]

I'm SO grateful that you did the work of defining. This riff has been in the back of my mind for rock n roll centuries, awaiting the day (today!) that I might hear what else is happening to compliment the main chords so other-worldly and wily. I'm subscribing from here on our (and digging)! You rule the rock n roll sciences, my friend.

[@bennettshapiro7711]

Killer analysis. Always wondered what was going on there. Thanks for this.

[@Ang197O]

This was one of those riffs that I attempted to learn when I first started playing guitar mfjnmbt years ago, and it frustrated me to the point that I gave up and never looked back. Thank you for bringing me back to that moment and allowing the insight that my younger self didn't allow or consider, that Andy didn't play all those notes at the same time!

[@BloggerMusicMan]

I've listened to this song many, many times and never really absorbed that harmony. That adds so much more majesty to the progression.

[@anthonybreaux2119]

Perfect explanation! Wonderful!

[@wcrothers]

Dude, your passion is insane, i love it.