Roxanne Chords & Guitar Lesson Just Like The Record

I've always wondered about these famous songs titled a woman’s name...

Are they real? What was this person like at that time? Do they know said song was written about them?

Tunes like: 

* Jessica

* Layla

* Or Josie…

Well, below I’m going to break down the guitar style behind one of these types of songs. So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "Roxanne" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Roxanne?

"Roxanne" was written by Sting, the lead vocalist and bassist for the English rock band The Police. The song sings of a man's romantic feelings for a woman named Roxanne, who is implied to be a prostitute. He drew inspiration from his experiences in Paris, where he observed the city's red-light district. The name "Roxanne" was inspired by a character from the play Cyrano de Bergerac, a poster of which was present in the hotel where the band stayed. 

"Roxanne" was recorded in 1978 at Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead, England. It was released on April 7, 1978, as part of their debut album, Outlandos d'Amour. 

Something interesting happened in the recording session…

You see, during this time The Police where playing live a lot and when it came time to record their music. They simply went into the studio and knocked it out. They had laid down the rhythm track, and went to listen back to the take.

Sting was in the adjacent room of the studio where a piano was, he sat back on the piano not realizing the lid was up. At the same time, the tape was recording the playback. This resulted in a strange butt chord that got left in the final recording, along with a good chuckle from Sting.

It was a happy little accident. 

Upon its initial release, "Roxanne" didn’t achieve massive success. However, after the band's subsequent tour in the United States, the song gained popularity, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

Later, the song gained critical acclaim, ranking No. 388 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and No. 85 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Rock Songs." 

Roxanne has gone on to become one of The Police’s most iconic songs.

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Roxanne?

The tuning for "Roxanne”, as recorded by The Police is standard tuning. Andy Summers kept things simple. Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE.  

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch) 
• A (5th string) 
• D (4th string) 
• G (3rd string) 
• B (2nd string) 
• E (1st string, highest pitch) 

Next, let’s take a look at the…

Roxanne Chords

To play “Roxanne” on guitar you need to know 13 main chords they are Gm, Dm, Ebmaj7, Dm7, Cm7, Fsus4, Gsus4, G5, C5, Bb5, Eb5, and two variations on F5. Let’s take a look at a few ways the “Roxanne” chords can be played on the fretboard:  

Gm can be played as a triad on the top 3 strings like this:

Then shift down to 1st position and play Dm like this:

Then Ebmaj7 moves up to the 6th position. Note: although this shapes brings in more strings, I still try to keep the strumming focused on the treble strings.

Dm7 is another bar chord played from the 5th string down like so:

Cm7 is the same as Dm7 just shifted down 2 frets like this:

Fsus4 is played on the top 4 strings like this:

Gsus4 is the same chord shape just moved up 2 frets:

The remaining chords I play as power chords. This could be done using 2 or 3 note power chord shapes. A power chord is a simple chord structure on guitar that uses just the root and fifth of the chord. These are common in countless rock and pop tunes. G5 can be played like this:

C5 simple shifts the chord shape down one string set like this:

Bb5 stays on the same strings as C5 but relocates down to 1st position like so:

Here’s another great way to play power chords, this Eb5 chord shifts the root to the 4th string like this:

Then finally we have 2 variations for F5 which look like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it the simplest and fastest way. Then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:  

All right! Now that you know the "Roxanne” chords, let’s next talk about…

What key is Roxanne in?

"Roxanne" as recorded by The Police is in the key of G minor. The main scale for the song is the G natural minor scale which uses the notes: G - A - Bb - C - D - Eb - F.

If you looked at that scale in the form of intervals it would be:

Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole 

Here’s a simple way to play this scale on the fretboard in 2nd position:

Here’s a quick breakdown of how each chord functions in the key:

Gm (G minor)

• Notes: G - Bb - D
• Scale Degree: i (tonic)
• This is the root chord of the key, built from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the G natural minor scale. It establishes the key and is the "home base."
  
  

Dm (D minor)

• Notes: D - F - A
• Scale Degree: v (dominant)
• This is the minor dominant chord, built on the 5th degree of the G minor scale. In natural minor, the v chord is minor (D - F - A). If it were harmonic minor, the chord would be D major (D - F# - A).
  
  

Ebmaj7 (E-flat major 7th)

• Notes: Eb - G - Bb - D
• Scale Degree: IIImaj7
• This chord is built on the 3rd degree of the G minor scale and has a jazzy flavor due to the major 7th interval. It's common in more complex arrangements and serves as a "color" chord.
  
  

Cm7 (C minor 7th)

• Notes: C - Eb - G - Bb
• Scale Degree: iv7 (subdominant minor 7th)
• This chord is built on the 4th degree of the scale. The minor 7th adds a slightly bluesy or jazzier character to the progression.

Fsus4 (F suspended 4th)

• Notes: F - Bb - C
• Scale Degree: VII (Bb added)
• This chord replaces the third (A) of an F major chord with the fourth (Bb). The Fsus4 resolves naturally to F major or can act as a transition chord in progressions. It’s commonly used for tension.
  
  

Gsus4 (G suspended 4th)

• Notes: G - C - D
• Scale Degree: i (modified tonic)
• This chord is a suspended version of the tonic (Gm). The fourth (C) replaces the third (Bb), creating a tension that resolves back to G minor.
  
  

Bb5 (B-flat power chord)

• Notes: Bb - F
• Scale Degree: III (simplified)
• This is a power chord based on the 3rd degree of the scale. Without the third (D), it lacks major or minor quality and is used for a driving, rock-like effect.

So that’s the theory, but all that info doesn’t mean a thing without a good…

Roxanne Groove & Strumming Pattern

The main underlying feel for “Roxanne” is a driving 8th note rock groove. In 4/4 time, 8th notes divide each beat into two equal parts.

Counting 8th notes out loud should be solid and even:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

The numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) represent the main beats in the measure.

The "&" represents the subdivision between each beat.

When counted out loud, it sounds like:

"One-and, Two-and, Three-and, Four-and."

This is the motor of the song. However, when strumming “Roxanne”, Andy Summers uses a combination of 8th notes and also quarter note stabs. He keeps these very staccatto. Here is an example of a “Roxanne” style strumming pattern:

Conclusion

There you have it – A simple breakdown of the guitar style behind “Roxanne” one of The Police’s greatest hits. 

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:    

Jon MacLennan