Six keys in a row
The song never leaves six neighbouring keys, middle C to A. On a computer they are t y u i o p, one row of letters in the same left-to-right order as on the piano, so a child can rest six fingers on them and never has to look for a key far away.
The shape is easy to remember:
- The opening leaps from C up to G and A, then falls back by step to C:
t t o o p p o,i i u u y y t. - The middle is one small phrase sung twice, from G down to D:
o o i i u u y. - The ending repeats the opening two lines exactly.
Learning it with a child
Let the child listen first with the slow speed, then take turns: you point at the glowing key, they press it. Most notes come in pairs, so a key usually gets two presses before the tune moves on (only the long note ending each line is played once), a good habit for lifting the finger between notes. On a tablet the child can tap the glowing key directly. Once the song is secure, switch Labels to note names and sing C C G G along with it.
A song with two histories
The words are Jane Taylor’s poem The Star, first line “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”, from the collection Rhymes for the Nursery by Ann and Jane Taylor; Project Gutenberg has the full poem in the 1831 London edition. The tune came from France: it is the song “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman”, the theme of Mozart’s 12 Variations, K. 265, which he probably wrote around 1781–82 and which were first published in 1785 (IMSLP). Words and melody are both long out of copyright.
For note names on the keys instead of computer letters, try the online piano with letters.