Beginner twinkle twinkle little star piano sheet music

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Piano Music

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is one of the best loved nursery rhymes and is well known throughout many countries. It is a great piece to learn to play on the piano.

I have put together 2 different arrangements for you to have a go at:

• An easy piano version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• An intermediate version.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Piano Easy Version

You can click on the image to open the PDF version of the sheet music.

The easy piano version is in the key of C major so you have no sharps or flats.
The right hand plays the melody.
The melody stretches the right hand out of its normal resting position on the piano as it goes up to an A in pitch.
As a result, there is some tricky fingering when moving between the G and A notes of the melody.
Take a bit of time to practice it with just the right hand until you can play the tune fluently.

The left hand is simple and plays the root note of each chord and the note length is a half note (minim) each time.

Intermediate Piano Version

In the intermediate version I have increased the complexity of the left hand by adding in some scales at different points.
This adds in a bit more interest factor into the arrangement, but it does make the left hand a bit more tricky.

An obvious way of making a piece more challenging to play is to try it in a different key.
Here is a version for piano in D major.

About The Author

Ben Dunnett LRSM is the founder of Music Theory Academy. He is a music teacher, examiner, composer and pianist with over twenty years experience in music education. Read More

This Twinkle Twinkle Little Star easy piano music is perfect for little beginner hands. It’s simple, repetitive melody and small five finger range is ideal for first piano lessons. As Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is usually one of the first songs a small child will sing, it makes a great choice as one of the first easy piano pieces.

Print the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star easy piano music by clicking here. It’s been designed to be easy for kids to read. With fingering written in for both the right and left hands above each note which acts as a useful guide for beginners.

If you’re new to the piano, check out my First Piano Lessons eBook, which goes into these lessons in more depth and is packed with exercises and printables to use at home.

How to Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – One Hand Only

Find more sheet music like this in our free resources!

How to Teach Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Right Hand Tune: Teach the right hand first and don’t attempt to add the left hand until the can the right hand has been mastered.

1. Sing the song together while clapping the rhythm at the same time. Take a fairly slow tempo. Explain that this song has 4 beats in a bar and count 4 beats in before you start each time.
2. Play the tune while the child sings along. If the child can read, suggest they point to the words on the music as they sing.
3. Explain that the right hand plays the tune. Place the hand with thumb (1) on middle C and the rest of the fingers over their own notes D, E, F & G. Check out this post on piano fingering if you need more help.
4. This song actually has a range of a sixth and the 5th (little) finger has to step one note higher in order to play the A on ‘Li-ttle’, and then back down again one step to the original position. Explain that this necessary so that you don’t run out of fingers!
5. Talk the child through the fingering of each note, line by line as detailed below. Gently touching the fingers in the order that they must be played can be a help.

Practice One Phrase At A Time

1. Encourage the child to attempt one line of the song at a time and gradually build it up, phrase by phrase. Allow them to take their time and don’t attempt the whole song if it seems too much.
2. Sing along as you play – this helps prevent them from getting lost, as well as anticipating what comes next.
3. With a bit of practise the child will soon memorise the tune and want to play it over and over. This is excellent for developing a wide range of skills: memory, patterns and sequences, aural recognition of intervals and finger strengthening – to name but a few!

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How to Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – Both Hands

Left Hand Tune: I wouldn’t recommend for this to be attempted until the right hand can be played easily – usually children aged 6 yrs +.

1. Ask the child to play the right hand tune while you play the left hand so that they can hear how both hands and the musical line fit together.
2. This may be the first time that they have had a new position for the left hand, so spend a little time getting used to the C below middle C. Explain that the left hand is in the same place as the right hand but one octave lower. This is covered in my lesson Easiest Way to Learn the Notes if you need some exercises and games to practice note hopping!
3. The left hand should be approached in the same way as the right hand. Follow the fingering as detailed on the sheet music above and build it up gradually, working out each phrase at a time.
4. Sing along with the tune as you play the left hand accompaniment. This is always satisfying as you can hear how the left hand harmony notes fit together with the melody line.

Practice Hands Separately

1. Practice one hand each, taking in turns to play both the right hand and the left hand until the child finds each hand easy.
2. Playing it as a duet (one hand each) might be enough for some children. They should only be encouraged to play both hands together if they are keen to do so.
3. Playing the piece with both hands together can be attempted once each separate hand can be played with ease.
4. This should be approached in the same systematic way, gradually adding each phrase line by line.
5. Don’t attempt to play the whole piece in one lesson and take your time.
6. It’s much better to feel a sense of achievement with realistic goals rather than trying to attempt too much! Good luck!

For more tips on practicing, check out my post on How to Practice.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Easy Piano Music

Download the music here.

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