Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

Smile: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Marvin Hamlisch

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 1987
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Boom-chickRight hand Steady chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 boom-chick (boom-chick) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune 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.

Bar 1
G → Em7
RA3+B3+D4+G4 A3+B3+D4+G4 G3+B3+D4+G4 G3+B3+D4
LG2 G2 E2 E2
Bar 2
Am → Em7
RG3+C4+D4 B4 A4 G4 G4 E4
LA2 D3 D2
Bar 3
G → Em7
RA3+B3+D4+G4 A3+B3+D4+G4 G3+B3+D4+G4 G3+B3+D4
LG2 G2 E2 E2
Bar 4
Am → Em7
RG3+C4+D4 B4 A4 G4 G4 E4
LA2 D3 D2

Smile accompaniment in letter notes

The G – Em7 – Am – Em7 – G – Em7 – Am – Em7 loop with boom-chick in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G → Em7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LG3 B3+D4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 2
Am → Em7
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LA3 C4+E4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 3
G → Em7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LG3 B3+D4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 4
Am → Em7
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 E6 D6 B5 G5 F#5 F5 E5 D#5
LA3 C4+E4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 5
G → Em7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LG3 B3+D4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 6
Am → Em7
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LA3 C4+E4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 7
G → Em7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LG3 B3+D4 B2 G3+B3
Bar 8
Am → Em7
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LA3 C4+E4 B2 G3+B3

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 G – Em7 – Am – Em7 – G – Em7 – Am – Em7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Smile?

The loop is G – Em7 – Am – Em7 – G – Em7 – Am – Em7 (I – vi7 – ii – vi7 – I – vi7 – ii – vi7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Smile in?

G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Smile?

Boom-chick: boom-chick, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Smile easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Smile?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.