Topic: Tiptoe Through the Tulips

[GhostRider]

Howdy:

I couldn't resist this one. In some of my open stage performances I do a medley of this and LHJ Rollin' From Side to Side.

1929 video of Nick Lucas doing this tune, playing a Gibson Nick Lucas guitar.

Pretty jazzy chords.



Anyone have any ideas what he's doing chordally?

Alex

[Rivers]

Nice touch on the guitar. The less said about the 'high crooner' vocals the better, if he'd been my roommate I would have eventually beaten him to death with his namesake guitar. I think it would have been more satisfying all round if the giant tulips had attacked and eaten the dancers.

[uncle bud]

Thanks for that, Alex. That's really amazing footage, the second Technicolor talkie, most of the film lost. Beautiful.

Chordally, you can see in certain sections what Nick is doing, but that will still take some ear work! That bass line is wonderful. There's some footage on YouTube of Lucas on the Tonight Show in 1969 for the Tiny Tim wedding where Lucas plays a short version of the song and you can see his guitar playing quite nicely. Not exactly the same but may help.

[Rivers]

Don't know the intro but you can get the main chord melody with a walk up, Lucas may be doing something different, it's hard to see his hands

3   x   5   4   3   3     (G)          Tip...

4   x   3   4   x   x     (G#dim)      toe...

slide that up one fret,                through the..

slide that up more more fret,          tulips

7   x   5   7   x   x       (G)        Through the tulips, that is...

3   3   2   0   1   0      (C)         where I'll be

3   5   5   4   3   3      (G)         Tiptoe,

4   x   3   4   x   x     (G#dim)      through the...

x   3   4   2   1   x    (D7)          tulips, with

3   x   5   4   3   3     (G)          me