It's a Sin to Tell a Lie?

Passacaglia · September 2009

Just figured out the chord grille from this song, from "Playback La Pompe" on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUa_1tz3LW0&feature=sdig&et=1254101089.06).

I'm interested in this tune, but haven't seen anything in the way of gypsy players doing it (might have just missed it) - anyone know of a recording of this?

[By the way - can anyone confirm that the A7 at the end of measure 15 is, in fact, an A7b5/F#? - first played at about 1:03].

-Paul

WowBobWow · September 2009

Thanks for the link! Great tune.

here are the chords of the video in case it helps someone....

Songform is "A1A2"

"A part"
//C---/G7---/C---/C---/

/C---/E7---/F-A7/Dm6/

"1"
/G7---/G7---/B7---/C---/

/D7---/D7---/Edim/G7---/

"A part" (again)
/C---/G7---/C---/C---/

/C---/E7---/F-A7/Dm6/

"2"
/F---/Fm---/C---/A7---/

/D7---/G7---/C---/G7--//

Jack · September 2009

You can also find a lead sheet in pdf form here.

best,
Jack.

Passacaglia · September 2009

Fantastic, many thanks, both.

Confusion over the progressions I see here, v. what I saw from what he played, and what he presented, the chords, onscreen.

I suspect I'm not home enough in harmony theory to be able to understand why what I'm seeing may be, in essence, the same thing I'm seeing now in terms of chords/progressions. Here's the tune, as I had it:

F Fm C6/9 A7 D7 G7 C6/9 G7
C6/9 G7 C6/9 C6/9 C6/9 E7 F/[A7b5/F#] Dm6
G7 G7 B7 C D7 % E° G7
C6/9 G7 C6/9 C6/9 C6/9 E7 F/[A7b5/F#] Dm6

-which seems like a mess, to me (not what I'm accustomed to seeing, in terms of standard progressions), but I believe that's what the player had, yes? And playing it through, I like the sound....just doesn't "look" right....any thoughts?

(In the video, the A7 - is he not playing it A7b5/F#? (I've got it at measures 15 and 31).

Jack · September 2009

Maybe it's throwing you off that he's using the last line of the tune (F Fm C6/9 A7 D7 G7 C6/9 G7 ) as an intro? The tune itself doesn't pick up until what you have as line 2. If you move your first line to the end, you end up with basically the same progression as the pdf. (Try singing along with it if that's not clear.)

C6/9 G7 C6/9 C6/9 C6/9 E7 F/[A7] Dm6
G7 G7 B7 C D7 % E° G7
C6/9 G7 C6/9 C6/9 C6/9 E7 F/[A7] Dm6
F Fm C6/9 A7 D7 G7 C6/9 G7

About the A7, I don't see/hear a b5; it looks more like a shape similar to this:

--3-
--2-
--0-
--2-
--0-
--2-may be just muted...

Hope that helps,
Jack

WowBobWow · September 2009

Thanks for the link to the pdf, Jack! You are amazing!

Passacaglia · October 2009

Sorry for the late reply, some weird issue with FF/Mozzilla and warning filters, couldn't get on the site without wading through a ton of annoying hoops.

At any rate, Jack, can I just say "duh," and if I look sufficiently :oops: -faced enough, can I be let off the hook?

...guess it "sounded good" because it was the right chords, just from the end of the song on....

Thanks again...

Paul

garyedelman · October 2009

Above you asked for a recording to "It;s a Sin to Tell a Lie".
Don't know about one that Django did,but being you're from
Chicago, I became familiar with this song as it was a regular
in Steve Goodman's repotoire. He recorded it a couple of
time, last one I know about was a remix on the tribute
double cd. He did it live a lot.

Passacaglia · October 2009

garyedelman wrote:

Above you asked for a recording to "It;s a Sin to Tell a Lie".
Don't know about one that Django did,but being you're from
Chicago, I became familiar with this song as it was a regular
in Steve Goodman's repotoire. He recorded it a couple of
time, last one I know about was a remix on the tribute
double cd. He did it live a lot.

Thanks, Gary. I'll try to find it...the only one I'm seeing is a single tribute CD:

http://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Steve-Goodman-Various-Artists/dp/B000000DLZ

But I'll keep looking.

François RAVEZ · October 2009

Why don't you try the real thing : the Ink Spots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLE3f0kWjoM

Best

François RAVEZ

playbacklapompe · October 2009

hello. ((hello to all since its my first post on your forum)

for the A7 in this playback i just made a regular A7 with open string..((cos it was convenient and close to the F shape that i did))

thats not a (gypsy jazz chord for sure)) but well as long as its sound like a A7 for me its ok

so here the shape in fact its the basic A7 shape

....i dont use it often i think its my first vid where iam using this shape

have fun
ciao

--0--
--2--
--0--
--2---
--0---
--0---

((and i just play the 4 string in the middle? (maybe?)))

otherwise yes the 8 first bar are in fact de 8 last bar((of fats waller singing) i used as intro cos its hard to start on time while following the recording

so best is yea to sing the first 8 bar before start to play..

then start

..trying to follow the recording of fats wallers on this one

(but without all the nuance..cos these guy where great.. unlike me