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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is a first piece in the right hand's C position: C C G G A A G, F F E E D D C. The only stretch is the little finger reaching from G up to A and back.

Play it in Octotune

The opening, as the app engraves it: C4, C4, G4, G4

The melody in letters

Bar by bar, as the app’s melody version has it; the small numbers are the fingers.

  1. Bar 1C1C1G5G5
  2. Bar 2A5A5G5
  3. Bar 3F4F4E3E3
  4. Bar 4D2D2C1
  5. Bar 5G5G5F4F4
  6. Bar 6E3E3D2
  7. Bar 7G5G5F4F4
  8. Bar 8E3E3D2
  9. Bar 9C1C1G5G5
  10. Bar 10A5A5G5
  11. Bar 11F4F4E3E3
  12. Bar 12D2D2C1

At a glance

ComposerTraditional
DifficultyFirst pieces: grades 1–3 of 8
KeyC major (no sharps or flats)
Time4/4
Tempo100 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower)
Length12 bars, about 29 seconds
Handsone hand or both, by version
Right handC4 to A4
Left handB2 to A3
On the pathUnit 4, Treble G and up, Unit 5, Two hands, Unit 11, Chords, Kids, A, B and C, up from G

It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.

Versions in the app

VersionGradeLevels
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star — melody1 of 8Full
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star — with bass2 of 8Melody, Full
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star — with chords3 of 8Melody, Melody and bass, Full

Practice notes

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star sits in the right hand's C position, thumb on middle C. The first line is C C G G A A G, then F F E E D D C; the middle lines are G G F F E E D, twice; then the first line comes back.

The fingering keeps the hand still: 1 1 5 5 5 5 5, 4 4 3 3 2 2 1. Notice that A is played by finger 5 too. Instead of moving the hand, the little finger reaches one key up from G to A and comes back. That reach is the only real challenge in the song.

The other thing to watch is the leap from C up to G at the very start: a fifth, thumb to little finger. Look at the shape on the page, two notes on the bottom of the staff and two up on the second line, rather than counting up.

Practice plan

  1. Play just "C C G G" until the jump from thumb to little finger is sure.
  2. Add "A A G", keeping the hand where it is.
  3. Play the second line, which walks down one finger at a time.
  4. The middle lines are the same line twice. Then play it all.

In the path: Unit 4 for grown-ups (with bass in Unit 5 and with left-hand chords in Unit 11), and the Kids unit Up high, where it arrives as soon as purple A is met.

Questions

What are the piano notes for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?

C C G G A A G, F F E E D D C; G G F F E E D, G G F F E E D; then the first line again. Right thumb on middle C, fingers 1 1 5 5 5 5 5, 4 4 3 3 2 2 1.

Credits and licence

The Octotune team · Updated