"Smile" by Charlie Chaplan - Free intermediate level score

[harry likas]

“Smile” (score attached below) was written by Charlie Chaplin as an instrumental theme for his film Modern Times, with lyrics added later by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, turning Chaplin’s bittersweet melody into a full song. Since then it has become a jazz and pop standard, recorded by artists such as Nat King Cole, Monty Alexander, Toots Thielmans, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Durante, Diana Krall and Joshua Redman.

In 2+2 chord arranging, each hand plays two notes: the left hand anchors the harmony (usually Root and 7th or Root and 3rd, and sometimes Root and 5th on tonic chords), while the right-hand thumb fills in whichever tone (3rd or 7th) the left hand leaves out, and the remaining fingers carry the melody.

This approach creates a hand‑friendly, balanced, and versatile texture. The left hand alone can provide a sufficient accompaniment and further add rhythmic movement, while the right hand is free to shape the melody, add fills, or improvise without feeling cramped. With time and practice, 2+2 stops feeling like a “method” and becomes an instinctive way to hear and play chord changes.

About me

I’ve arranged 1,400 arrangements of standards and produced 65 tutorials, all available at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas

I was also the technical editor for Mark Levine’s The Jazz Theory Book and a contributor to The Jazz Piano Book.

[harpistbong]

“Smile” (score attached below) was written by Charlie Chaplin as an instrumental theme for his film Modern Times, with lyrics added later by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, turning Chaplin’s bittersweet melody into a full song. Since then it has become a jazz and pop standard, recorded by artists such as Nat King Cole, Monty Alexander, Toots Thielmans, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Durante, Diana Krall and Joshua Redman.

In 2+2 chord arranging, each hand plays two notes: the left hand anchors the harmony (usually Root and 7th or Root and 3rd, and sometimes Root and 5th on tonic chords), while the right-hand thumb fills in whichever tone (3rd or 7th) the left hand leaves out, and the remaining fingers carry the melody.

This approach creates a hand‑friendly, balanced, and versatile texture. The left hand alone can provide a sufficient accompaniment and further add rhythmic movement, while the right hand is free to shape the melody, add fills, or improvise without feeling cramped. With time and practice, 2+2 stops feeling like a “method” and becomes an instinctive way to hear and play chord changes.

About me

I’ve arranged 1,400 arrangements of standards and produced 65 tutorials, all available at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikaslevel devil

I was also the technical editor for Mark Levine’s The Jazz Theory Book and a contributor to The Jazz Piano Book.

I like how you describe the balance between the left hand covering the harmony while the right hand keeps the melody flexible and expressive. It seems like a very practical way to make solo piano arrangements sound full without overcrowding the texture.

I also didn’t know “Smile” had such an interesting history, starting as an instrumental theme from Modern Times before becoming a jazz standard. The list of artists who recorded it really shows how timeless the tune is.

I’m curious — when arranging in the 2+2 style, how do you usually decide whether the left hand should play the 3rd or the 7th alongside the root? Do you base it mostly on voice leading, melody notes, or the character of the chord progression?

[harry likas]

Here’s how I think about it. For me it really comes down to range — whichever option keeps the shell in my favored shell range (see attachment) so it stays clean in the register and feels physically comfortable. I like the weight of the Root and 7th, and that often guides the next shell toward a Root and 3rd in that register.

I usually reserve playing Root and 5th in the left hand for tonic chords when the major 7th would create too much dissonance, especially when the Root is doubled in the melody and that major‑7th clash becomes really exposed.

Then someone asked me: "From your perspective, what is the math/theory as to why the seventh and the thirds will often alternate. Also, is the goal to generally have the root in the bass note?"

Here’s how I think about it.:

Most standards move through a small slice of the cycle of 5ths — ii → V → I, or III → VI → II → V, or little dominant chains. When harmony moves that way, the 7th of one chord wants to fall a tiny step to become the 3rd of the next chord.

That’s the whole engine. It’s not mystical — it’s just efficient voice‑leading.

In a ii–V, the 7th of the ii chord drops a half‑step to become the 3rd of the V chord.

In a V–I, the 7th of the V chord drops a half‑step to become the 3rd of the I chord.

Because so much jazz harmony lives in that little neighborhood of the cycle, you get this natural alternation: 7th → 3rd → 7th → 3rd, almost like gears meshing.

About the bass note

In my 2+2 chord‑voicing method for solo piano, yes — I generally feature the root on the bottom.

Above that root, the left hand carries either the 7th or the 3rd, depending on which one sits cleanest in the register and keeps the texture open.

I call these shapes left‑hand shell voicings:

Root + 7th (my default because it’s fuller and sits beautifully)

Root + 3rd (usually the next closest option in range)

Those two shapes give you all the voice‑leading you need, and they let the right hand stay free for melody and color.