Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Smile on piano
Written by Kirk Franklin, Frederick Tackett & others
- Db major
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- 2011
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Smile in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Gb – Fm – Ab
How it goes
I Smile sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbVGbIVFmiiiAbV- AbAb · C · Eb
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- FmF · Ab · C
- 2
Left hand: Knock-knock footsteps
How it goes
Step, then a quick knock-knock, a pause, and one last step. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 471 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 72 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: Gb – Ab – Db
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb- DbDb · F · Ab
Play next
Questions about I Smile
What chords are in I Smile?
The loop is Ab – Gb – Fm – Ab (V – IV – iii – V) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is I Smile in?
Db major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Smile?
Knock-knock footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Smile easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.