Steward Copeland: a brief biography 

Stewart Copeland’s drumming career began in the mid-1970s with the progressive rock band Curved Air, but it was The Police that brought him international recognition. In 1977, Copeland set out to form a new band that captured the raw energy of punk with a tight three-piece setup. He started with guitarist Henry Padovani and soon added bassist and vocalist Sting. The Police quickly took shape. 

Copeland was central to the band’s early direction. He wrote many of their first songs, including their debut single “Fall Out” and its B-side “Nothing Achieving.” And even as Sting became the main songwriter, Copeland had a say over the arrangements and, of course, the drum parts.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, The Police had become one of the biggest bands in the world. Their 1979 album Reggatta de Blanc won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Songs like “Roxanne,” “Message In A Bottle,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, and “Every Breath You Take” showed how easily Copeland moved between styles.

He blended punk, reggae, and rock with precision and energy, helping to define the band’s sound. 

Beyond The Police, Copeland has a great career in film, television, and video game music, with credits including Dead Like Me and the Spyro the Dragon series. Still, it’s his work with The Police that he’s the most famous for. 

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Not just The Police drummer… 

So, let’s dive into the other work that makes Copeland such a multifaceted musician. Over the years, he’s explored film scores, television, opera, and orchestral music. No matter the format, his work carries the same energy and precision that define his drumming. 

After The Police, the 1990s marked a major shift in Stewart Copeland’s career. He turned his focus to film and television, composing scores for a wide range of projects including Wall Street, The Equalizer, Dead Like Me, and the Spyro the Dragon video games.  His work on Spyro, in particular, is playful in its melody and rhythm, much of which he crafted using a Kurzweil K2500x keyboard and a mix of sample libraries.

As if film, TV, and game weren’t enough – Copeland is also renowned for his orchestral stage works. His opera Holy Blood and Crescent Moon was commissioned by Cleveland Opera, and he’s continued to write for the concert stage. Highlights include Tyrant’s Crush, a drum set concerto written for the Pittsburgh Symphony, and his original score to Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

He’s also brought genres together through projects like Off the Score, a collaboration that paired classical musicians with rock instrumentation. His ensemble Orchestralli took that fusion even further, blending percussive energy with chamber textures. The project earned a Grammy nomination for the track “Birds of Prey”. 

Steward Copeland’s unique style and technique 

It’s tricky to pinpoint one genre when it comes to Stewart Copeland; he had such a broad range of influences from different cultures. This makes him stand out. He grew up in Egypt, Lebanon, and England, which meant he was surrounded by all kinds of music, including Arabic, African, and Western styles. That mix shaped the way he plays. 

You can hear those influences in the way he blends styles. He pulls from reggae, jazz, Latin, Arabic, and punk rock, but he doesn’t just borrow bits and pieces. He mixes them in ways that go far beyond what you’d expect from a typical rock or pop drummer. 

You’ll notice Copeland is a massive fan of rhythmic displacement. In a track like “The Bed’s Too Big Without You”, he actually leaves the first beat of the bar silent on purpose. It throws you off just a little, but in a way that draws you in. That kind of phrasing gives his grooves a really fluid and almost conversational feel. It’s not stiff or mechanical. It moves and shifts to keeps things interesting. 

If I had to highlight one thing that made his drumming so unique, I’d have to talk about his hi-hat technique. Instead of sticking to a standard backbeat, Copeland often builds full rhythmic textures using just the hi-hat and bass drum. You can really hear this in songs like “Bring On The Night” and “Darkness”, where he creates momentum through subtle changes in articulation and volume. 

On a technical level, Copeland prefers a higher-pitched drum sound. His snare and toms are tuned tighter than usual, and that choice became a defining feature of The Police’s reggae-infused rock. The brighter tone gives his playing extra clarity and punch, helping his intricate rhythms cut through the mix. 

Copeland has also mastered the art of using a range of dynamics to add excitement to the pieces. He blends jazz-like articulation into pop structures, using ghost notes, rim clicks, and accented strokes to add detail and depth. His snare work often shifts quickly between light, subtle patterns and strong, driving backbeats. The rest of the kit follows suit. It always feels musical, not mechanical. 

He also sometimes leaves out the downbeat altogether. In “Spirits in a Material World”, for instance, you can clearly hear the reggae influence, but you can also hear how the absence of that first beat changes everything. The groove feels different. The momentum shifts. These choices don’t just add flair. They reshape how the rhythm lands and how the song moves. 

This is what makes Copeland’s drumming so distinctive. It’s not just the technical skill. It’s the mix of musical cultures, the sense of structure, and the willingness to do things differently. He doesn’t simply keep time. He plays with it. Bends it. Turns it into something entirely his own. 

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Inspirations 

Stewart Copeland’s drumming was shaped early on by a wide range of influences. In interviews, he’s mentioned Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Buddy Rich, Ringo Starr and John Bonham as key inspirations. Each one added something different to how he approached music. 

Mitchell’s work with Jimi Hendrix had a big impact. It was the energy, the freedom in playing, and the use of toms and jazz-influenced phrasing that Copeland loved; it opened the door to a more expressive style that didn’t stick to typical rock patterns. Ginger Baker left a similar impression. His tom-heavy, almost melodic drumming encouraged Copeland to move around the kit with more fluidity and creativity. 

In terms of control and precision, Buddy Rich was a huge influence. You can hear this inspiration in Copeland’s uses of dynamics and ghost notes on the snare. There’s a level of articulation that gives his grooves real shape. Then there’s John Bonham, whose power and sense of groove added something different. His influence is clear in the weight and timing of Copeland’s playing. 

You can hear all of this come together in his work with The Police. The mix of reggae and rock, combined with jazz-style phrasing, syncopation, and world rhythms, creates a sound that’s so distinct and difficult to pinpoint. 

Copeland’s kit and other equipment 

Such a varied discography calls for a vast range of equipment. Copeland’s gear has allowed him to have such a crazily creative and diverse career, with drum setups that focus on clarity, texture, and dynamic range.

Despite being left-handed, Copeland uses a right-handed kit because it’s more “convenient”. One of the best things about his kit is his use of octobans. These small, high-pitched toms sit above the main kit and let him create melodic lines that almost sound like a voice. He also makes regular use of the cowbell. It adds a sharp, percussive edge that cuts through brilliantly. 

Copeland has been a long-time fan of Tama drums, especially the Imperialstar kit, which he used during the classic Police years. This kit was in a midnight blue finish, also known as “Police blue sparkle.” He additionally used a Tama Starclassic, which made an appearance during The Police’s reunion tour in 2007.

If you’re looking to replicate Copeland’s sound, you can get your own Tama Starclassic Maple 22″ 4pc Shell Pack. 

For his snare, he originally favoured a Pearl 14×5″ Chrome Over Brass snare, before switching to his own signature Tama snare in more recent years. His iconic snare sound was achieved by tuning these snares very high, which gave him extra response and attack.  

For his cymbals, Copeland’s go-to setup included Paiste, with some standout models, like the 14-inch 2002 Flanger Splash, which has since been discontinued, the 12-inch Signature “Rhythmatist” hi-hats, and the 22-inch Blue Bell Ride. Each one is chosen for quick accents and crisp, clear attack. His kit often includes multiple splash cymbals, light flat rides, and signature crashes, all picked for their clarity and fast response.

The Paiste 12″ Signature Combo Crisp Hi-Hats and the Paiste 2002 16” Crash Cymbal offer a similar sound. And if you’re really trying to recreate Copeland’s sound, it’s a no-brainer that you should use his signature Vater drumsticks!

In the studio, Copeland uses lots of electronic and sampling gear. For his Spyro the Dragon soundtrack, he used a Kurzweil K2500x keyboard loaded with orchestral and contemporary ROMs, along with Spectrasonics libraries like Distorted Reality. He sequenced and arranged using Digital Performer, and incorporated AKAI sample CDs to build detailed soundscapes.

On The Police’s Ghost in the Machine, he layered textures using a Roland RS 505 string synthesizer. 

When it comes to scoring for orchestra and film, Copeland prepares the notation for musicians in Avid Sibelius. He admits it’s not ideal for composing directly, but it’s his go-to tool for producing clear, readable scores. 

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Legacy and influence  

As a drummer, Stewart Copeland helped reshape rock music by blending influences from reggae, Arabic music, jazz, and punk. Rather than sticking to standard grooves, he created rhythms that felt fresh, unpredictable, and distinctly his own. His style was both sophisticated and easy to connect with. 

Copeland’s use of syncopation and melodic toms brought a new sense of musicality to the drum kit. He proved that drummers didn’t have to stay in the background. They could help shape the song, act as composers, and become a central voice in the music. With The Police, he introduced global grooves into a rock setting, creating a sound that became instantly recognisable. 

His influence is easy to spot. Drummers like Carter Beauford, Taylor Hawkins, Adrian Young, and Matt Cameron have all cited Copeland as a key inspiration. You can hear it in their phrasing and precision at the kit and their willingness to explore different styles. 

Many modern drummers credit him with changing how they see the instrument. He’s pushed musicians to think more musically and to develop their own voice rather than follow familiar patterns. 

In essence, Copeland didn’t just innovate behind the kit; he redefined the role of the drummer in modern music. 

FAQs 

How did Stewart Copeland meet Sting? 

Stewart Copeland first met Sting on 25th September 1976, when Sting was performing with his band Last Exit in Newcastle. After a Curved Air tour stop featuring Copeland, the two exchanged numbers. A few months later, in January 1977, Sting moved to London. On the very day he arrived, they jammed together and began their collaboration. 

How good was The Police drummer? 

Stewart Copeland is widely recognised as one of the most distinctive and influential drummers in rock. Known for his unique style and inventive approach, he has earned critical acclaim throughout his career. Rolling Stone has ranked him among the top drummers of all time, and his contributions have been honoured with inductions into multiple Halls of Fame. 

What is unique about Stewart Copeland’s drumming? 

What makes Stewart Copeland’s drumming unique is the way he blends reggae, jazz, and rock into a sound that feels both sharp and fluid. He’s known for using octobans and a distinctive splash cymbal he helped design. Adding to that, he plays left-handed on a right-handed kit, which gives his rhythms an extra layer of movement and complexity.

Final thoughts  

Stewart Copeland’s career has inspired generations of musicians with his unique drumming style and clever approach to songwriting. He’s more than just The Police drummer. He’s widely regarded as one of the greats in modern music. 

We’ve explored how his gear choices, from Tama kits to splash-heavy cymbal setups, helped shape his punchy and syncopated sound. There’s a lot of variety in how he achieved that signature feel, so take what resonates with you. Whether it’s his technique, his setup, or a mix of both, there’s something in his approach that can bring new energy to your own playing.