Fake Empire

 Song: Fake Empire 
 Artist: The National 
 Tabber: Jonathan Doyle  
  
   
  
 Tuning: Standard 
 References: 
 1 - Live show with only guitars - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zowsCGy68ak 
 2 - Live show on the Q - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf0o5W2suTc 
 3 - How to with the Q - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmj5I8ME1m0 
 4 - Description of 4 against 3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyrhythm  
  
 Notes: 
 The most difficult thing about this song for me was the rhythm. I spent an hour 
 playing the first chord progression with the rhythm on the wikipedia link. 
 Basically within the same time scale your thumb plays 3 (bass) notes while your 
 fingers play 4 (treble) notes. I will reproduce the wikipedia graph here: 
  
 4 against 3 polyrhythm 
               ||-----------------------||-----------------------|| 
 4-beat rhythm ||X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | ||X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | ||  (treble) 
               ||-----------------------||-----------------------|| 
 3-beat rhythm ||X| | | |X| | | |X| | | ||X| | | |X| | | |X| | | ||  (bass) 
               ||-----------------------||-----------------------|| 
  
 All chords are played with one iteration of this rhythm. To sound like the studio 
 recording you can omit the first treble note in the 4-beat rhythm.  
  
 === 
 Tab: 
 I have tabbed two guitar parts as per reference 1 
  
               I                II              III         (Roman numerals indicate 
        (Intro / Verse)      (Chorus)         (Bridge)       the chord pattern. Used   
      e|----------------|----------------|----------------|  in lyrics/song 
  G1  B|---5--5--5--5---|---5--5--3--3---|---1--1--0--0---|  structure below) 
   &  G|---5--5--5--5---|---5--5--4--4---|---2--2--0--0---| 
  G2  D|------3---------|------3---------|----------------| 
      A|---3------------|---0------------|------0---------| 
      E|---------3--3---|---------3--3---|---1-----3--3---| 
           C  F  G  G       Am F  G  G       F  Am G  G     (used root to write the   
                                                             timing with the lyrics)   
  
             IV                 V               VI 
          (Bridge2)         (Bridge3)       (Jam/Horns)  
      e|---12-10-8--7---|---8--12-7--7---|----------------| 
      B|---13-12-10-8---|---10-10-8--8---|----------------| 
  G1  G|----------------|----------------|----------------| 
      D|---10----7--9---|------7--5--5---|----------------| 
      A|------10--------|---8------------|--/3------------| 
      E|----------------|----------------|----------------| 
                                            
      e|----------------|---------3--3---|----------------| 
      B|---17-15-13-12--|---1--1--3--3---|----------------| 
  G2  G|---17-16-14-12--|---2--2--0--0---|----------------| 
      D|----------------|---3--2--0--0---|----------------| 
      A|---17----12-----|------0--2--2---|----------------| 
      E|------15----10--|---1-----3--3---|--/8------------| 
                          (light distortion and strumming) 
  
 ====== 
 Lyrics: 
 http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858655995/  
 Using progression from reference 1 and 2. Listen to the song for your the 
 arrangement you prefer. 
  
 Intro: I x 2 
  
 Verse: I x 2 
  
 C                  F   
 Stay out super late tonight 
 G               G 
 Picking apples, making pies 
 C                      F              G                    G 
 Put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us 
  
 Chorus: II x 2 
                 Am    F          G     G 
 We're half awake in a fake empire 
                 Am    F          G     G 
 We're half awake in a fake empire 
  
 Verse: I x 2 
 C                  F   
 Tiptoe through our shiny city 
 G                           G 
 With our diamond slippers on 
 C                  F      G                          G 
 Do our gay ballet on ice, bluebirds on our shoulders 
  
 Chorus: II x 2 
                 Am    F          G     G 
 We're half awake in a fake empire 
                 Am    F          G     G 
 We're half awake in a fake empire 
  
 Bridge: III x 2, IV x 2 
  
 Verse: I x 3 
 C                   F   
 Turn the light, out say goodnight 
    G                           G 
 No thinking for a little while 
 C                F          G                  G 
 Let's not try to figure out everything at once 
      C            F            G                       G 
 It's hard to keep track of you falling through the sky 
  
 Chorus: II x 2 
                 Am    F          G     G 
 We're half awake in a fake empire 
                 Am    F          G     G 
 We're half awake in a fake empire  
  
 Bridge/End: III x 1, V x 1, VI until end fade out / horn solo (one guitar can do  
             G2 VI or III, or any combination you wish) 
  
  
 =========== 
 Final Notes: 
  
 If you wish to play the song solo you can cut the bridge short or just play III in 
 place of IV. If you want to play completely in open you can play just I, II, and 
 III as follows. (The fingering can be a bit tricky, I will indicate how I play it 
 in the column below the chord with the number corresponding to the left hand 
 finger. The capitol letter “O” represents open) 
  
  
               I                II               IV          
        (Intro / Verse)      (Chorus)         (Bridge)         
      e|---0--0--0--0---|---0--0---------|----------------|  
  G1  B|---1--1--1--1---|---1--1--3--3---|---1--1--0--0---|  
   &  G|----------------|---------4--4---|---2--2--0--0---| 
  G2  D|----------------|----------------|----------------| 
      A|---3------------|---0------------|------0---------| 
      E|------1--3--3---|------1--3--3---|---1-----3--3---| 
           C  F  G  G       Am F  G  G       F  Am G  G        
            
           O  O  O  O       O  O  2  2       2  2  O  O 
           2  2  2  2       2  2  3  3       3  3  O  O 
           4  1  4  4       O  1  1  1       1  O  3  3