I'se a Muggin' — chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
I'se a Muggin' by Stuff Smith — key of D (manouche), form A. Below is the full chord grid; on Haute Gitanerie you can play along with a scrolling chord ribbon, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and switch on a rhythm backing (la pompe) to practise your solos over the changes.
About
A scat novelty number written by jazz violinist Stuff Smith, who recorded it with his Onyx Club Boys in 1936 — a moderate hit that made Smith a fixture of New York's 52nd Street scene.
The sound — bright and playful in D major, moving through vi–ii–V turns (Bm, Em, A7) before D7 pushes to G, where a borrowed G minor darkens the cadence.
Practising it — drill the D major arpeggios and target the shift from G to Gm: hear how B♭ colours that bar. Keep it light and swinging at a medium-up tempo.
I'se a Muggin' chords — the grille
A : | D Bm | Em A7 | D Bm | Em A7 | D Bm | Em A7 | D | D | D D7/C | G Gm | D D7/C | G Gm | D D7/C | G Gm | D | D |
Chords used
D · Bm · Em · A7 · D7/C · G · Gm
Play along
Open the interactive grille for I'se a Muggin': loop any section, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and play over a rhythm accompaniment — with a real recorded pompe on featured tunes. In the browser, free.