Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

When You're Smiling: piano accompaniment sheet music

By Louis Armstrong

  • Bb major
  • 4/4
  • 112 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Steady chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

When You're Smiling written out as piano music: the I – #ivo – V7 – I loop in Bb major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand steady chords.

When You're Smiling chord chart

The loop once round, bar by bar, in Bb major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.

BarChordNumeralNotes
1BbIBb D F
2Edim#iv°E G Bb
3F7V7F A C Eb
4BbIBb D F

What the sheet music shows

The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: jazz walk (walking bass) in the left hand and steady chords in the right, over the Bb – Edim – F7 – Bb chords.

Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.

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Questions about When You're Smiling

Does the sheet music for When You're Smiling have finger numbers?

Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.

What chords are in When You're Smiling?

The loop is Bb – Edim – F7 – Bb (I – #ivo – V7 – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is When You're Smiling in?

Bb major, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in When You're Smiling?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is When You're Smiling easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.