I've revised my arrangement of "Smile" using my 2+2 chord arrangement method for piano.
“Smile” 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 and more contemporary interpreters like 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.
I was also the technical editor for Mark Levine’s The Jazz Theory Book and a contributor to The Jazz Piano Book.
