Drummer

Stewart Copeland: The Police's drummer, decoded

Q: What kind of drum kit did Stewart Copeland play with The Police?

Tama. Long-documented signature artist on the Tama roster from the early Police era through current touring. Configurations vary; the 1980s Police-era kit was a Tama Imperialstar / Granstar with 22-inch kick + 14-inch snare + standard rock-tom layout. The Tama relationship has continued through his post-Police film + concert work.

Stewart Copeland anchored The Police from 1977 through 1986, then moved into a substantial film + TV scoring career. Tama signature kit, Paiste cymbal partnership, Vic Firth Stewart Copeland signature stick. The reggae-into-rock pocket that made The Police's catalog.

The Police · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-27

Stewart Copeland (born July 16, 1952, Alexandria, Virginia) anchored The Police from 1977 through the band's 1986 dissolution and 2007 reunion. Tama signature kit, Paiste cymbal artist + signature line, Vic Firth Stewart Copeland signature drumstick (model SSC). The reggae-influenced rock pocket on Synchronicity (1983) and the catalog before it is the defining signature; his hi-hat work and ride-cymbal vocabulary are widely studied. Pivoted to film + TV scoring in the late 1980s (Rumble Fish, Wall Street, plus an extensive TV catalog). Modern Drummer Hall of Fame (2002), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Police (2003).

At a glance

Role

Drummer

Also known as

Stewart Armstrong Copeland

Active

1972–present

Based

Los Angeles, California

Genres

Affiliations

The Police (drummer + co-founder, 1977–1986; reunion 2007–2008)
Curved Air (drummer, 1975–1976)
Animal Logic (1987–1991)
Oysterhead (with Trey Anastasio + Les Claypool, 2000–2001)
Tama Drums (signature kit endorsement)
Paiste (cymbal artist + signature line)
Vic Firth (Stewart Copeland signature drumstick)
Modern Drummer Hall of Fame (2002)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with The Police (2003)

Notable credits

The Police, Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
The Police, Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
The Police, Ghost in the Machine (1981)
The Police, Synchronicity (1983)
Rumble Fish soundtrack (1983, his first solo film score)
Wall Street soundtrack (1987, additional cues)

Sourcing6 citations · reviewed 2026-04-27· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Stewart Copeland is

Stewart Armstrong Copeland, born July 16, 1952, in Alexandria, Virginia (raised in Cairo and Beirut where his father was a CIA officer), anchored The Police from the band's 1977 formation through their 1986 dissolution. Across five studio records (Outlandos d'Amour, Reggatta de Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta, Ghost in the Machine, Synchronicity) and the band's 2007-2008 reunion tour, his pocket drove what made The Police different from punk-era rock contemporaries.

Before The Police he played in Curved Air (1975-1976), a UK prog-rock band that gave him professional touring experience and connected him with future Police bandmate Sting (whom he met in Newcastle in 1976). After The Police he built a substantial film + TV scoring career: Rumble Fish (1983), Wall Street (1987 cues), Talk Radio (1988), plus extensive TV work (The Equalizer, Babylon 5, Dead Like Me). He has continued performing with side projects: Animal Logic (1987-1991) and Oysterhead with Trey Anastasio + Les Claypool (2000-2001).

Modern Drummer Hall of Fame (2002). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with The Police (2003).

The current rig (sourced)

What's documented

Style signatures

Three things across The Police's catalog you can identify as Copeland's:

The hi-hat as a third melodic voice. His left-foot hi-hat work treats the closed/open hat as expressive rather than metronomic. Songs like 'Walking on the Moon' and 'Roxanne' have hi-hat parts that function as melodic counterpoint to the bass + guitar.
The reggae-influenced backbeat displacement. Many Police songs ('So Lonely', 'Roxanne') use displaced backbeats that pull from reggae's one-drop pattern rather than rock's standard 2-and-4. The pull is what gives the band its distinctive feel; standard rock backbeats can't replicate the groove.
Composed fills around odd time + 16th-note triplets. Synchronicity (1983) and Ghost in the Machine (1981) both have arrangement-pivot fills written into the song structure rather than improvised. The technical vocabulary is jazz-influenced; Copeland cites jazz drummers as primary influences alongside reggae.

The catalog. The Police, Outlandos d'Amour (1978) through Synchronicity (1983).

Drumheads in the Copeland-era lane. Remo Coated Ambassador (Copeland's snare batter), Remo Pinstripe Coated (Copeland's tom batter, the canonical 80s-rock dry tom voice).

Drummer hub. Drummers index.

Sticks Stewart plays

Documented signature relationships.

All gear →

Signature stick

Vic Firth

Stewart Copeland Signature

Vic Firth

Stewart Copeland Signature

Catalog audit pending. Read the full editorial review.

Full review →

Frequently asked questions

What kind of drum kit did Stewart Copeland play with The Police?

Tama signature artist. Documented on the Tama artist roster.

Configuration. The 1980s Police-era kit ran Tama Imperialstar / Granstar with 22-inch kick, 14-inch snare, standard rock-tom layout. Touring + concert configurations have evolved through his film score era.

What cymbals did Copeland play?

Paiste. Documented signature artist with a dedicated Paiste signature cymbal line. The Police-era cymbal voice is heavily Paiste 2002 and Signature line, with bright crashes and articulate hi-hats that cut through the band's reggae-influenced arrangements. Specific signature models per the Paiste partnership; the relationship dates to the late 1970s.

Does Stewart Copeland have a signature drumstick?

Yes. The Vic Firth Stewart Copeland Signature stick (model SSC) is a hickory stick designed with Copeland. Slightly extended length, oversized profile for active hi-hat work and ride-cymbal articulation. Currently in production through Vic Firth + D'Addario.

What's the 'Stewart Copeland hi-hat' technique?

His left-foot hi-hat work in The Police's catalog is a defining element of the band's groove. Where standard rock drumming uses the hi-hat as a metronomic clave, Copeland treats the hi-hat as a third melodic voice, opening and closing it expressively, splashing it on off-beats, layering 16th-note ghost patterns. The technique reflects his exposure to Lebanese, Middle Eastern, and reggae rhythmic vocabulary growing up; his father was a CIA officer stationed in Cairo and Beirut, so Copeland heard those rhythms before he heard rock drumming.

What's Copeland doing now?

Film + TV scoring. After The Police dissolved in 1986, Copeland built a substantial scoring career: Rumble Fish (1983), Wall Street (1987 cues), Talk Radio (1988), Surviving the Game (1994), plus extensive TV work (The Equalizer, Babylon 5, Dead Like Me). He has also continued performing intermittently with side projects (Animal Logic, Oysterhead with Trey Anastasio + Les Claypool) and reunited with The Police for the 2007-2008 worldwide tour. His memoir Strange Things Happen (2009) covers the band era and his subsequent career in detail.

What drumheads did Copeland use on the Police catalog?

Remo. Specific batter selection across The Police's catalog included Coated Ambassador snare batter and Pinstripe Coated tom batter; the dry, focused tom voice on Synchronicity and surrounding records is Pinstripe-shaped. Cross-verified against Modern Drummer's gear archive.

At a glance

Who Stewart Copeland is

The current rig (sourced)

Style signatures

Related

Sticks Stewart plays

Stewart Copeland Signature