Learn to Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Guitar: A Creative Guide

As a guitar player and parent, I understand the endless loop of children’s songs. To maintain my musical sanity, I started arranging these tunes for solo guitar. One song that became a fascinating project was “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Figuring out how to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the guitar in a way that was both recognizable and musically interesting became a rewarding challenge.

This guide will walk you through the arrangement I developed for this classic nursery rhyme. You’ll discover how to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on guitar with a fresh perspective, as if you’re reimagining the song yourself.

In this lesson, we’ll explore:

Basic Chord Progressions
Melodic Embellishments on Guitar
Inner Voice Movement Techniques
Chord Substitutions for Guitar
Simplifying Melodies for Guitar Arrangements
Utilizing Motifs in Guitar Playing
Tritone Substitution in a Simple Context
Voice-Leading on Guitar

Yes, all of this from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”! Get ready to elevate your guitar skills with this seemingly simple song.

Let’s dive in.

My Guitar Arrangement of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Here’s a solo guitar arrangement I created for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” originally a poem by Jane Taylor from 1806. In the sections below, we’ll cover the fundamental aspects of the song and then explore my creative process, including the musical devices and techniques I used. With some practice, you can apply these concepts to your own guitar arrangements.

YouTube video

Alt text: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Guitar Arrangement YouTube Video Example

Arranging kids’ songs is my way of staying musically inspired amidst the daily soundtrack of parenthood.

Let’s Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Guitar

While sheet music or guitar tabs can be useful initially, I recommend learning the melody of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by ear, even if you’re a beginner guitarist. Training your ear will help you internalize the melody faster and improve your musical memory. So, if possible, try learning without relying solely on notation.

Starting with the Melody Basics on Guitar

The melody of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” is inherently simple, and all the notes reside within a major scale. To keep things straightforward, we’ll learn this song in the key of C major, using notes from the C major scale.

The opening phrase “Twinkle Twinkle” begins with a perfect fifth interval (C-C-G-G).
“Little Star” follows with the notes A-A-G.
For “How I Wonder What You Are,” the notes are F-F-E-E-D-D-C. Notice this phrase descends the C major scale starting from the fourth degree (F).
The phrase “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky” uses G-G-F-F-E-E-D and then repeats those notes. This phrase also descends the C major scale, but starting from the fifth degree (G).
Finally, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” returns to the initial notes for these words.

Take some time to internalize this melody on your guitar and get it comfortable under your fingers.

Understanding the Chords and Cadences for Guitar

The melody often provides clues to the underlying chords of a song. First, it’s important to understand musical cadences. A musical cadence is a sequence of chords that brings a sense of closure or pause to a musical phrase or piece.

Before exploring advanced chord substitutions, it’s crucial to grasp the basic harmonic foundation of the melody. Here’s how I determine basic chords and cadences when creating a solo guitar arrangement:

Sing the melody of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.
While singing, experiment with playing C (the Root or I chord), F (the Fourth or IV chord), or G (the Fifth or V chord) on your guitar. Roman numerals are commonly used to denote chords in music theory. (Replace with a relevant guitar theory resource if available).
Feel how the bass note of the Root, Fourth, or Fifth interacts with the melody.
This process helps you aurally identify cadences and the fundamental chord progression of the song. You’ll begin to hear and feel when a chord change is needed, revealing the harmonic movement of the song.

Here’s one basic way to play the chords for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on guitar:

For “Twinkle Twinkle,” play the root chord, C major.
For “Little,” play the four chord, F major.
For “Star,” resolve back to the root chord, C major.
For “How I,” play the four chord, F major.
For “Wonder,” resolve to the root chord, C major.
For “What You,” play the five chord, G major.
For “Are,” resolve back to the root chord, C major.
For “Up a–,” play the root chord, C major.
For “–bove the,” play the four chord, F major.
For “world so,” play the root chord, C major.
For “high,” play the five chord, G major.
For “Like a,” play the root chord, C major.
For “diamond,” play the four chord, F major.
For “in the,” play the root chord, C major.
For “sky,” play the five chord, G major.
For “Twinkle Twinkle,” play the root chord, C major.
For “Little,” play the four chord, F major.
For “Star,” resolve to the root chord, C major.

Taking Your Guitar Arrangement to the Next Level

There are several melodic techniques I incorporate in my solo guitar arrangement to make “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” more engaging.

Melodic Embellishments: Melodic embellishments are extra notes or musical flourishes added to a melody to increase its expressiveness and complexity on the guitar. I like to insert these at the beginnings or ends of phrases to preserve the core melody.
Chord Movements: Chord movements refer to the transitions between different chords, creating harmonic structure and flow in a piece. My approach, which might be unconventional, is to prioritize playing the melody and then insert chords at the start or end of phrases. Since guitar can be physically demanding, playing chords with every melody note isn’t always necessary. This approach also emphasizes the melody as the central focus.
Inner Voice Movements: Inner voice movements involve melodic lines and changes within the inner parts of a chord. You’ll notice I often play a chord and then move one of the inner voices up or down a step, creating a secondary melodic layer within the harmony. This adds depth to the guitar arrangement.
Harmonic Direction (Voice Leading): When playing chords, I aim for a consistent harmonic direction. If chords are ascending on the fretboard, I try to maintain that direction, even if the melody descends. This creates contrary motion (replace with guitar specific resource if possible), which adds an interesting sonic texture.
Motifs: Motifs are recurring musical phrases that act as building blocks or thematic elements. For the section “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky,” I simplified the melody and played a motif instead. The listener’s ear naturally fills in the missing melodic information, still recognizing the song. This is effective in guitar arrangements for creating variation without losing familiarity.
Tritone Substitution: Tritone substitution (replace with guitar specific jazz resource if possible) is a jazz harmonic technique where a dominant chord is replaced by another dominant chord a tritone away, adding chromatic color to the harmonic progression. Whenever you encounter a V chord (G major in C major), try substituting it with a V chord derived from its tritone. For example, explore how a Db7 chord sounds over the melody where a G chord would typically be. This adds a sophisticated touch to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on guitar.

Applying these techniques to a children’s song (replace with guitar specific kids song tutorial if available) like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” might seem like overkill, but it’s an excellent exercise for expanding your guitar playing vocabulary and musical creativity. It’s also surprisingly fun!

Your Turn to Shine on Guitar

Mastering “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on guitar at a more advanced level is something to be proud of, especially for busy parents who find limited time to play. By understanding the melody, practicing essential guitar techniques, and being diligent, you can elevate your guitar skills and confidently perform this beloved nursery rhyme with your own style and flair. So, pick up your guitar, tune up, and prepare to impress with your stellar rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

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