How to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on various instruments (Notes & Sheet Music)

Here’s how to play the popular song (nursery rhyme) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on various instruments including piano, keyboard, guitar and more. Perfect for beginners, find notes & sheet music for this popular kids music.

Did Mozart Write “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”?

Before I show you how to play this popular song on various instruments, I would like to answer this question. There are many who think that Mozart composed the music for this popular children’s song.

However, that’s not the truth.

The song is actually based on an old French folk song called “Ah! vous dirais-je Maman” (“Oh! Shall I Tell You Mommy”).

“Ah! vous dirais-je Maman” was already an old classic when Mozart composed twelve variations of the simple tune (classical composers like Franz Liszt and Bach have also composed variations of this tune).

So Mozart didn’t create the original music.

I guess, because many were not aware of the original French folk song, and because Mozart is one of the most famous classical composers, they just assumed that Mozart composed twinkle twinkle as well.

Ah vous dirai-je, Maman: Mozart’s Twelve Variations of (Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Several popular children’s songs such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” are based on the French folk song “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman”.

Twelve Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman” is a popular piano composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the piece consists of twelve variations of the French folk song.

So basically you will learn different ways to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. However, only the first phrase is easy to play (the melody that we all are aware of). To play the entire variations, you need to be quite skilled at playing the piano.

How to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Piano / Keyboard

You don’t have to worry if you have a electronic keyboard (instead of a piano), the notes for the song are going to be the same. The image / sheet music shows notes for both the hands, however you can learn only the right hand first.

Also Read: How to read the notes on sheet music (various clefs) .

Checkout these videos to learn how play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the Piano / keyboard.

Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Violin

Here are the notes to play twinkle twinkle little star on the Violin

How to Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Guitar

Have a little one at home? Play this song on the guitar for him/her.

Find videos, chords and lyrics of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for guitar.

Chords and lyrics of twinkle twinkle little star for playing on guitar

How to play chords on guitar for twinkle twinkle little star

Guitar Tab for twinkle twinkle little star

Play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on a Recorder

The recorder is a popular instruent among beginners. Here’s hw to play this song on the recorder.

First play the note D (the D note is made of a G). This means three fingers on the top, and three fingers on the bottom. The left hand will be on the top. Play an A note by letting go of the bottom four holes. Do this transition over and over until you feel comfortable with this. Next play the next note by only holding one finger on the top hole. Next, play the last note by placing fingers to cover the top two holes. Watch the video to see how its done.

How to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Xylophone (Notes)

How to play popular tune Twinkle Twinkle little star on xylophone (or a chime bar). If you kid has got a xylophone as a gift (be it Fisher Price or any other brand), this is an easy tune that s/he can learn to play.

The song uses 6 notes, and there are no quarter notes to be played, so pretty much easy to learn for any beginner who wants to play an easy song on the xylophone.

If you see the image / sheet music, you will find all the notes to play the song. The sheet music shows notes for both the hands, but you are free to learn only the right hand initially.

Also Read: How to read the notes on sheet music (various clefs) .

Checkout the videos below to see how to play this popular nursery rhyme. The notes to be played are clearly visible (one of the videos is played at a very low tempo)

KeytarHQ Editorial Team

KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.