Message in a Bottle

How to play Message in a Bottle by The Police on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 4 you play Am, F, G, D, A#, C and more, the shapes the player above shows.

Message in a Bottle is a great song to learn if you want a driving, urgent feel that stays energetic from start to finish. You get a tight, memorable progression that sounds strong right away, and it feels rewarding because the rhythm has to stay steady while the chords keep moving.

You can lean on the open shapes A, D, E, and Am, but the harder shapes C#m, B, F#, F#m, and C# will ask for clean barre control. The main change to watch is the opening move from C#m to A, then B to F#, since that shift sets the pace and can expose any hesitation.

Start by looping C#m - A - B - F# slowly until the changes feel smooth. Then practice the barre shapes on their own, add the open shapes back in, and only speed up once your hands can land each chord without extra motion.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.