"Army" by ben folds five 
from the unauthorized biography of rienhold messner
tabbed by tim swan

verse 1 — bend the high notes
g—————————————————————————————————————————————
d—6/10/8—1311—15—13—11—10—8—6————————————————
a——————————————————————————————————————6——————
e———————————————————————————————6—6—4————6—4——

verse 2 — "grew a ..."
g—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
a——————————————————6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6——4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4———————————————————
e—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4————————————————————————————————————4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4——

g————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3————————————————————————————————————————————————————
a—————————————————6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6——4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4———————————————————
e———————————————————————————————————————————————————4—4—4—4—1—1—1—1——

"no...i been thinking a lot today"
g——————————————————————————————————————
d————————————————————————————56————————
a—6——————6—————————————3—464———————————
e———6—4————6—4———44—6————————————6—4———

"oh, think i'll write..." 
on that big slide down play triplets down the scale      
g————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d———————————————————————————3—5—6—————————————————18————————
a—————————4—4—4—4—————3—4—6———————————————4—4—4—4———————————
e—2—2—2—2—————————4—6—————————————2—2—2—2—————————————16————

g————————————————————————————
d————————————————————————————
a—————————4—4—4—4————————————
e—2—2—2—2—————————4—4—6—7—8——


solo
g——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
a—8———6—8—————3———1—3————6—8————6—8————1—3—————1—3—————1—————1—
e———8—————1—3———3——————8—————88——————3——————33—————1—4———1—4———

g————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d———————————————————————————————————————————3———1—3——
a———2—4—6—88—11—————4—4———2—4—4—————3—————————3——————
e—4—————————————4—6—————4———————4—6———6—4—2——————————

then play the beginging high part again
play twice
g———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
a——————————————————6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4——————————————————
e—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4——————————————————————————————————4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4——

slightly different verse
g—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
a——————————————————6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6——4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4———————————————————
e—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4————————————————————————————————————4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4——

g————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
d—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3————————————————————————————————————————————————————
a—————————————————6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6——4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4———————————————————
e———————————————————————————————————————————————————4—4—4—4—8—8—8—8——

"my redneck past is nipping..." — same as before


"i thought about the army"
g———————
d———————
a—6—————
e———6—4—

[email protected]

About Ben Folds Five

Ben Folds Five was an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprised Ben Folds (vocals, piano, and principal songwriting), Robert Sledge (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals and co-writer for some songs). The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes. The band is best known for the hit single "Brick" from their 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen, which gained airplay on many mainstream radio stations.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
A|---3---------------|
E|-------------------|
            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5h7---------|
            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------7p5---------|
            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5/7---------|
            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Ben Folds Five — Army bass tabs