Piano chords · Film & wonder
Smile: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Judy Garland
- F major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- 1954
- Medium
The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Smile without reading music. The left hand plays rising tide (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12) and the right hand soft chords.
The catchy part of Smile in letter notes
The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.
Smile accompaniment in letter notes
The F – C – Dm – Am – Bb7 – Db7 – Gm loop with rising tide in the left hand and soft chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
How to read the bar sheet
The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.
Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.
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Questions about Smile
What are the letter notes for the Smile piano accompaniment?
Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is F – C – Dm – Am – Bb7 – Db7 – Gm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Smile?
The loop is F – C – Dm – Am – Bb7 – Db7 – Gm (I – V – vi – iii – IV7 – bVI7 – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Gm – C7 – 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?
Rising tide: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12, 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 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Smile?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.