chords in "the kiss" by Judee Sill

December 12, 2007 11:26 AM

Anyone care to take a guess at the chords in "the kiss" by Judee Sill (youtube link inside)?

Never having heard of Judee Sill before, I came across this performance on the Old Grey Whistle Test (UK TV show from the 70s). I would dearly love to work out a guitar arrangement but can't find any tab or sheet music anywhere. I'm not bad at transcibing guitar tracks from ear but I'm less certain about the piano. Can any ivory-tinkling MeFite help me figure out the chords? You can see her hands at some points in the performance which might help.

posted by primer_dimer to media & arts (9 comments total)

While the basic chords may be easier to pick out from the TV performance, you should also listen to the lushly-orchestrated studio version to get a fuller understanding of the song. It's an amazing piece. (No time to sit at the piano today. Sorry, working.)
posted by D.C. at 12:13 PM on December 12, 2007

wait, you want a guitar version, right?
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:15 PM on December 12, 2007

I'm just after the chords - a piano version would be fine. Or a MIDI file, anything that would give me a head start in working out how to play it.
posted by primer_dimer at 3:38 PM on December 12, 2007

I'm not familiar with Judee Sill, but MAN, what a song!
posted by wsg at 3:53 PM on December 12, 2007

Ok lets see. These are all approximations, those piano chords are constantly embellished. It can always be simplified further, to major and minor.

F (Maj. 7) ......... C
.....introduction...

Am.........C(G bass)....F (Maj. 7)....F (6)...........
love........rising..........promise.......only this.....

C..................G(sus) G ..........C (sus)....C
touching........wind....song......sweet......kiss

Ab.............Eb............Ab......(Maj7#11)........C............F, C
once a......sleeping......came ...nearer...........dying.......done

C..................D/Cbass.....C...............Gsus, G.......C..........F.....G.....
new song.......sung..........somewhere...breathe......one.......hear whisper
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 6:01 PM on December 12, 2007

The first chord isn't Fmaj7. Sounds like G7/C. I'd play something like this:

G7/C                                                 C                                         C/B
------------------------|-------------------------|----------------------------|------------------------
----------3------3------|-----------3-------------|-----------1------1---------|---------1------1--------
----------4------4------|--------------4--0-------|----------------------------|------------------------
------3-------3-----3---|------3-------------3----|-------2------2-------2-----|------2-----2--------2--
--3---------------------|---3---------------------|----3-----------------------|---3------------2-------
------------------------|--------------------3----|----------------------3-----|------------------------

Then the verse like this (these are meant to be repeat signs):

Am                         C/G
||-----------------------||--------------------------||
||----------1------1-----||---------1-----1----------||
||o---------------------o||o------------------------o||
||o------2----2-----2---o||o------2-----2------2----o||
||----0------------------||--------------------------||
||-----------------------||----3---------------------||

And so on, with the following chords:

|| Am | Am | C/G | C/G | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | F6 | Fmaj7 | C/G | C/G | Gsus4 | G7 | G7/C | G7/C ||

I'd tab out the rest but it takes a long time to get the formatting right. Hopefully you get the idea.

I haven't quite gotten the bridge exactly, but what Rich posted sounds pretty close.
posted by ludwig_van at 7:24 PM on December 12, 2007

And F6 = F on the low E, open D, and C on the B string. Gsus4 = G on the low E, open D, and C on the B string.
posted by ludwig_van at 7:26 PM on December 12, 2007

Also, I'd never heard Judee Sill before. Thank you. (and check out this sweet performance of Jesus Was a Crossmaker)
posted by ludwig_van at 10:21 PM on December 12, 2007

Thanks, that's exactly what I was after.
posted by primer_dimer at 3:46 AM on December 13, 2007