Charlie Chaplin wrote “Smile” for the 1936 film Modern Times, with David Raksin contributing to the orchestration. The song has a beautiful and bittersweet melody that lends itself perfectly to solo guitar. In this lesson, you will learn an easy-to-play chord melody arrangement of the tune.
Chaplin, best known as a filmmaker and actor, was also passionate about music. He taught himself to play piano, violin, and cello by ear and became a skilled composer, even though he never had formal training. Because he could not read or write music, he worked with professional arrangers and composers to bring his ideas to life.
The opening phrase of Smile is very similar to a melody from the first act love duet in Puccini’s opera Tosca, where Cavaradossi sings “Qual’occhio al mondo può star di paro“. Chaplin never spoke publicly about this similarity, but it is quite noticeable.
In 1954, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added lyrics to Smile. Nat King Cole recorded the first vocal version, which helped make Smile a standard in both jazz and popular music.
The original key of Smile is Ab major, but this chord melody version is in E major, a more guitar-friendly key that lets you use the open E string as a bass note.
This arrangement uses drop 2 / drop 3 voicings and 6th intervals to harmonize the melody.
Recommended listening:
- Nat King Cole – Ballads of The Day (1954)
- Tony Bennett – Single (1959)
- Dexter Gordon – Dexter Calling… (1962)
- Chet Atkins – Alone (1973)
- Oscar Peterson – Great Connection (1974)
- Kenny Burrell – Sunup to Sundown (1991)
- Bireli Largrene – Standards (1992)
- Toots Thielemans – Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner (2001)
- Bobby Broom – Song and Dance (2007)
- Avishai Cohen Trio – From Darkness (2015)
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Video & Sheet Music/Guitar Tabs
Listen & Play-Along
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It seems to me that what I ear on the vidéo does not correspond rytmicly to what I read on the sheet. What am I missing here?
This was Michael Jackson favourite tune. Its easy to see why.
I’ve had this lesson for a while but just got to it. Now I wish I’d done it sooner. Love the arrangement and it’s fun to play. Great exercise for the fingers. Thank you!
Obrigado Dirk
Seus arranjos destes clássicos estão me influenciando a fazer mais dedilhados do que usar palhetas.
Lovely, rather ‘easy’, this is a gift!
lo stile di applicare le 4 ,5 e seste nelle melodie da un aria corale ,che personamente applico ai pezzi piu belli della musica moderna dagli standards ai beatles
C’est vraiment très joli et plus accessible que certains morceaux ! Merci !🙏
You can hear Chaplin’s grief over reluctantly relinquishing his beloved “Little Tramp” silent movie character in his last great silent picture “Modern Times,” which came out in the 30s, well after the advent of “talkies” or talking pictures. Still need to get up to speed on playing it, but wonderful, and thanks.
Supplementing my own post: Looking at the news and then playing the song brought to mind that this music is also singularly and deeply appropriate for our own “modern times.”
Thanks for connecting the dots for me to “modern times”, Randy. That resonated deeply for me. Smile, my friend.
Questo motivo mi prende molto. Suonato in riva al mare, col sottofondo della risacca con la mia donna accanto, è tutto un preludio di ciò che avverrà. Grazie, lo studierò affondo
Beautiful transcription, very nice thank you Kirk 🎸🙏
I loved this arrangement.
Thank you very much!
Precioso….y asequible…para los que estamos aprendiendo. Me anima a seguir practicando.
Un millón de gracias.
Dirk A million THANKS
Capolavoro eterno interpretato alla grande , grazie Dirk dei tuoi regali
Sweet and lovely😀👌
Nice mellow tune for evening gatherings of lovers and friends.
Thanks (I’m smiling 🙂 now )
very sweet … Charlie Chaplin! Einstein said the only reason he wanted to come to the USA was to meet Chaplin …
When I was a kid in the 60s my dad would play this on the piano and it always made me happy.
A lovely transcription, thankyou very much Dirk!
une bonne base très accessible ….à partir de laquelle je place quelques ” tournures ” personnelles pour plus de fluidité dans certains passage .