Empire In The Sky

Tony MacAlpine's "Empire in the Sky"

from the Shrapnel CD _Edge of Insanity_

Transcribed by Brian Meloon (bmeloon@geom.umn.edu)

(NOTE: tune down 1/2 step i.e. to Eb.)

(NOTE 2: except where noted, the entire song is harmonized up a third in

the key of A minor...)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theme #1:

|1. |2.

|--------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------

|--------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------

|--------------------|----------------------*|----------10-------------------

|-9------10-9--------|-9-10-12--14--10--12--*|-10-12-14----14----(12-12)-----

|-------------12-----|-----------------------|--------------------10-10------

|--------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------

The last note (in paranthesis) is played as indicated, instead of harmonized.

"Pre-chorus":

|----------19-15-------------------------------------------------------------

|-------17-------17-------18-----17-15---------------------------------------

|----16-------------16-----------------17------------------------------------

|-17-------------------17----------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st ending:

|-20-----19-17----19-17-------17---------------------------------------------

|--------------20-------20-18----20-18-17-20-18------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd ending:

|-20-----19-17----19-17-------17---------------------------------------------

|--------------20-------20-18----20-18-17----17-18-20-18-17------------------

|-----------------------------------------19---------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Chorus:"

|-------12-15-12----17-13----19-15----20-15----------------15-----13---------

|----13----------13-------15-------17-------17----17-----------------17-15---

|-12-------------------------------------------17----------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repeat this twice the first time, then add these other parts:

|-17-18-15-17----15----------------15-17-15-------|-15-----------------------

|-------------18----17-18-15-17-18----------18-17-|--------------------------

|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------

|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------

|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------

|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------

This is harmonized exactly one third down in the key of F major...

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-15-15-----17-15-13---------------------------------------------------------

|---------------------------14-14-------16-17-13-----------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

First part harmonized in F major, second in A harmonic minor...

Now, on to the solo... I only did parts of it because there were a few

parts which were too fast for my ears, and besides, no one wants to play

the song exactly the way it is on the disc, so I did most of it, and

skipped the really fast parts... I also forgot to put in bar lines, but

most of it is separated by phrases, so you should have no trouble following

along. So here we go:

Opening bend:

High E string, fretted at the 22nd fret. Push down on the bar so that the

note that sounds is 2 1/2 steps lower (i.e. the 17th fret). After picking

the note, slowly release the bar, and bend up a whole step. Eventually,

bend this up another half step, to hit F. Then release. This takes some

practice, but it is a pretty neat technique.

Fast lick deleted.

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-------------------------------------h--p-----------------------------------

|--------------------------------9---9-10-9----9-------Fast lick-------------

|-9------9-10----9-------9-10-12------------12----------deleted--------------

|-------------12---10-12-------------------------------------------------5---

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|---------p----------p----p----p--------p-------------7--------A.h.----------

|-----7-10-9-7-----10-9-10-9-10-9-----10-9-----10-9-7---10-9-7-9-------------

|-7-8----------8-7----------------8-7------7-8-------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|------------------------------------13-12-----------------------------------

|-------12-13-12----15---------------------15-13-12-------------12-----------

|-12-14----------14---------------------------------14-12----------14--------

|---------------------------------------------------------14-12--------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----17----------17-------20-(^^22)--------19-17-19-20-------------------12--

|-18----20----------20-17------------------------------17--------------------

|------------------------------------------------------------Fast lick-------

|-------------------------------------------------------------deleted--------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-13-12----12-------15------12-13----12--------------------------------------

|-------15----13------------------15----13-15-12-13----12--------------------

|----------------12---------------------------------14----12-14----12--------

|---------------------------------------------------------------15----14-15--

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

(sorry this lick runs over...)

|--------------------------------------scoop---------------------------------

|-------------------A.h.-----------------//-12---13-12-15--(^^17)------------

|-------------------14-------------------------------------------------------

|-12-14----12-14-15----------------------------------------------------------

|-------15-------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|---p-----p-----p-----p-----p-----p-----p------------------12-15-15-(^^17)---

|-17-15-16-15-17-15-16-15-17-15-16-15-17-13---p------------------------------

|-------------------------------------------14-12-14-------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-12-13------------------------------------tremolo pick these...-------------

|-------15-13-------13-12----------------------------------------------------

|-------------14-12-------14-----------7-9-10--9--7--------------------------

|----------------------------------------------------10--9-------------------

|-----------------------------------------------------------10--7--5--8-7-7--

|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-------------12--13-12--------22-(^^24)--------16-19-16----16-------19-|-17-

|-----------------------15-------------------------------19----17-------|----

|-fast lick-------------------------------------------------------16----|----

|--deleted--------------------------------------------------------------|----

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|----

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|----

This last bar is the end of the solo.

Now, the outro solo:

This is a little tough to hear, but I think this is pretty accurate...

Play this the following way:

Tap the notes which are in paranthesis as fast as you can, but in time...

For the first half of the measure, tap the first note, then for the second

half, tap the other note. Listen to the album to get the timing down...

The other two notes should be played as a trill, again as fast as you can

in time.... You will notice that the tapped notes and the left hand notes

overlap. Do your best to keep your fingers out of each other's way... It is

hard at first, but gets easier.

The last tapping measure should be played differently. Tap the same note

for the whole measure with the right hand, but play the notes indicated in

the order indicated on the left hand. Don't play it as a trill.

|------------|------------|-------------|---------------|----------------

|------------|------------|-------------|---------------|----------------

|-4-5-(5&7)--|-5-7-(7&9)--|-7-9-(9&10)--|-9-10-(10&12)--|-10-12-(12&14)--

|------------|------------|-------------|---------------|----------------

|------------|------------|-------------|---------------|----------------

|------------|------------|-------------|---------------|----------------

|----------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------

|----------------|----------------------------|-<-- tremelo pick these -->---

|-12-14-(14&16)--|-17-17-16-14-16-17-19-(21)--|-16------17------19------21-----

|----------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------

|----------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------

|----------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------

h p p h p p

|----17-19-20-19-17-19---------------17-19-20-19-17-19---- ...

|-20------------------------------20---------------------- ...

|---------------------------------------------------------

|---------------------------------------------------------

|---------------------------------------------------------

|---------------------------------------------------------

>From here, Tony plays a bunch of fast stuff which is kind of pointless to

reproduce... Just go off and do your own thing... It fades out pretty

quickly anyway...