Dominic Miller, Sting’s guitarist, believes that there are no particularly difficult songs by The Police to play. When asked by Ultimate Guitar about the most challenging track to perform, Miller responded, “Synchronicity II—it’s always important to get the right energy on that one.” He clarified, “It’s not about the riff.”
Miller continued, “There’s no riff that I find challenging in The Police’s music. Everything is playable. There’s nothing that I find challenging.” He explained that the real challenge lies in capturing the right energy for a song. “It’s all a question of energy, finding the right energy. And ‘Synchronicity II’ is a sweet spot that we’re looking for. That’s quite challenging to find sometimes, but when we do, it’s great.”
In a 2023 interview with Rick Beato, Miller recalled watching a video titled “Sting’s Most Iconic Riff” by a well-known Dutch guitarist. He expected the video to focus on “Roxanne” or “Every Breath You Take,” but instead, it was about “Shape of My Heart,” which he felt was an odd choice. Despite his initial surprise, Miller continued watching as the video discussed the complexity of the song’s chords.
He explained, “I thought, ‘Well, that’s okay, I don’t really mind because why should I care? It’s not that important,’ but then he mentioned how difficult it is to play those chords.”
Miller went on to reveal, “He says, ‘But the guy who plays it live doesn’t play that chord live because it’s a very awkward chord to play. Instead, he does a variation.’”
Miller added, “He takes the easy way out, and I thought, ‘Really?’ Then I realized, it’s actually true because that chord is almost impossible to play while standing. Sitting down, it’s fine, but standing up, it’s really difficult. So, I modified it.”
Since The Soul Cages in 1991, Miller has worked on every Sting album, playing over a thousand concerts with him and contributing to writing songs like “Shape of My Heart.”
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