Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Smile on piano
By Charles Chaplin
- F major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–ii–I–ii loop
- 1954
- Medium
Learn Smile in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Gm – F – Gm
Smile sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIGmiiFIGmii- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 BPM
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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
Play next
Questions about Smile
What chords are in Smile?
The loop is F – Gm – F – Gm (I – ii – I – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Smile in?
F major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Smile?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.