#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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Artist: The Police
Song: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
Album: Reggatta de Blanc ©1979
The Police began as a punk-rock band and if you listen closely to MESSAGE IN A
BOTTLE you will see that it has a very punkish rhythm. The chords in the pre-
chorus are all strummed downward very fast. Even though you form a full (A) and
(F#m) chord in the pre-chorus that doesn't mean you strike all the notes in the
chord. (As always listen to the recording to get the rhythm down correctly.)
The chords in the chorus are strummed and held for four beats each.
Main Riff (live version)/Verse:
E|----------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|
G|-----8----------------------------|
D|---6---------9-------11-------6s7-|
A|-4---------7-------9--------4-----|
E|-------5-------7--------2---------|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Pre-Chorus: Chorus:
(2x) (3x) (3x)
A D E F#m D C#m7 A F#m
E|-5------|-----------||-2------|-------||-4------|--------||---------|
B|-5------|-7----9----||-2------|-------||-2------|--------||---------|
G|-6------|-7----9----||-2------|-------||-4------|--------||---------|
D|-7------|-7----9----||-4------|-------||-6------|--------||---------|
A|-7------|-5----7----||-4------|-------||-4------|--------||---------|
E|-5------|-----------||-2------|-------||--------|--------||---------|
I'll send an SOS to I hope that Message In A
the world someone gets my Bottle
Tabbed by Michael Hatch (and his ex-guitar teacher)
email: watching_wheels@hotmail.com
Date: 7/13/02
Other tabs I've submitted:
Beatles: i should have known better.tab
Beatles: hard days night2.tab
Supertramp: give a little bit.tab
Romantics: what i like about you.tab
Rolling Stones: brown sugar2.tab
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From: sprochi@phoenix.cis.ohio-state.edu (Keith Sprochi)
This is really reaching but I will try it anyway. I think the chords are
c#m, A, B, f#m for the verse and then possibly c#m, A g#m or something like
that for the chorus. When I played it with a band, my hand would ache after
a short time because of the barre chords so I now play it like this
(although I haven't played it for months, so I don't know if this is right):
Verse (main riff)
---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
------------------------------------2--
-------14--------7-------9-------4-----
----14--------7-------9-------4--------
-12--------5-------7-------2-----------
I don't remember how the chorus goes; I think I just strummed c#m, A, g#m
and f#m (but hearing it in my head, that last chord sounds like it should
be a seventh ???)
One thing to keep in mind is that chorus sounds great on this but with
a little distortion, the constant sliding around sounds pretty crappy if
you don't muffle the strings. That is one problem I had anyway.
I hope that helps.
Keith D. Sprochi "Hard times? I'm used to them.
CIS Hardware Staff The speeding planet burns, I'm used to that.
College of Engineering My life's so common it disappears."
sprochi@cis.ohio-state.edu
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Date: 12 May 92 15:46:16 GMT
Sender: news@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (The News Manager)
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 41
The chord outline for Message looks like this:
Verse:
C#add9 Aadd9 Badd9 F#add9 (sliding up to m3) :|
"Chorus" 1 (I'll send an S.O.S....)
A D E :|
"Chorus" 2 (I hope that some one gets my...)
F#m D :|
"Chorus" 3 (Message in a bottle...)
C#m A (repeat) resolve to F#m then back to verse.
>From watching the old Police live tapes, you can see that
Andy plays the add9 chords something like this:
1---------------------------------------------------------------------1
2---------------------------------------------------------------------2
3----------8-----------4----------6-----------------------------------3
4------6-----------2----------4--------------6-7----------------------4
5--4-----------0----------2--------------4----------------------------5
6------------------------------------2--------------------------------6
I recommend doing the troups of three with fingers 1, 3, 4. This way,
you can slide up from 6-7 on the final chord with your pinky and your
index will be in position over fret 4 to begin the cycle again.
I recommend barres for the chorus chords, to reproduce the original
feeling. Try the 5th position A and D, 7th position E, 2nd position
F#m, and 4th position C#m.
Enjoy!
-Michael
--
Michael J. Fromberger|
Composer, Guitarist|
Sting@Dartmouth.EDU
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From: "Donald W. Pope II"
Message in a Bottle
The Police
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/p/police/message_in_a_bottle_tab.html ]
This is the main riff:
E-|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B-|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G-|-------8--------4--------4-------------------------------------------------|
D-|----6--------2--------4-----------6-7--------------------------------------|
A-|-4--------0--------2-----------4-------------------------------------------|
E-|----------------------------2----------------------------------------------|
Play these lightly muted power chords next:
E-|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B-|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G-|-----------------7-7-7-9-9-9-9-9-----------------7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-----------|
D-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-9-9-9-9-9-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-----------|
A-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-----------|
E-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-----------------2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---------------------------|
Lightly strum these bar chords:
E-|-4---------------5---------------2-----------------------------------------|
B-|-5---------------5---------------2-----------------------------------------|
G-|-6---------------6---------------2-----------------------------------------|
D-|-6---------------7---------------4-----------------------------------------|
A-|-4-------------------------------4-----------------------------------------|
E-|---------------------------------2-----------------------------------------|
These are the basic parts to the song, just piece them together...
Don Pope
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e|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|:
D|---------13------------9-------------11------------6/7----------|:
A|-----11-------------7-------------9-------------4---------------|:
E|--9--------------5-------------7-------------2------------------|
My guitar teacher taught me this, and he's been playing for 20 years
so I'm pretty sure it's right. I hope to tab the rest soon
Email me at Shaggy_Monster412@yahoo.com for any questions.
DoA
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I have found an easier way to play the add9 arpiggios during the verse
by using dropped D tuning.
E--------------------------------------------------------------------||
B--------------------------------------------------------------------||
G--------------------------------------------------------------------||
D----------13/--------9/--------11/---------6--7---------------------||
A------11----------7---------9-----------4---------------------------||
D--11-----------7---------9-----------4------------------------------||
I hope this way is easier to play but i didn't transcribe the chords
for the verse yet.
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From stevep@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca (Steve Portigal)
Subject: Message in a Bottle TAB (repost)
Date: 8 Oct 1993 14:22:18 -0500
From watching the old Police live tapes, you can see that
Andy plays the add9 chords something like this:
1---------------------------------------------------------------------1
2---------------------------------------------------------------------2
3----------8-----------4----------6-----------------------------------3
4------6-----------2----------4--------------6-7----------------------4
5--4-----------0----------2--------------4----------------------------5
6------------------------------------2--------------------------------6
I recommend doing the troups of three with fingers 1, 3, 4. This way,
you can slide up from 6-7 on the final chord with your pinky and your
index will be in position over fret 4 to begin the cycle again.
I recommend barres for the chorus chords, to reproduce the original
feeling. Try the 5th position A and D, 7th position E, 2nd position
F#m, and 4th position C#m.
Enjoy!
-Michael
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Hey folks,
im back again! this time around in tabbin' message in a bottle by police!
its quite hard but rise up to the challenge. here goes...
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
b|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
g|---------9--------------4-------------6----------------------------|
d|-------6-------------2-------------4---------------6--/7-----------|
a|-----4------------0-------------2---------------4------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------2---------------------|
Thats the main riff and pretty much the best part of the song.
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
b|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
g|------------------------5-5-5---7-7-7-7-7--------------------------|
d|------5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---5-5-5---7-7-7-7-7--------------------------|
a|------5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---3-3-3---5-5-5-5-5--------------------------|
E|------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3----------------------------------------------|
"i hope that someone gets my, i hope that someone gets my"
There u go kids, enjoy...... take it easy
V A L L E Y R O X
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