Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Guitar Chords
Key of G 4/4 92 BPM 3 chords: G C D Beginner
The 3 chords of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is the gentlest song to practise chord changes: three chords, G, C and D, and the changes come at a steady, slow rate, often two per bar. That is exactly what the first months on guitar need. This chord sheet puts each chord over its word, with the twelve-bar progression below the guitar, and the guitar can strum it for you at any speed. Play one down strum per chord to start, then two, and sing along with your children: the melody is the same as the alphabet song, so they already know it.
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right), numbers are fingers. Tap a chord for every other way to play it.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star chords and lyrics
Each chord sits over the word where it changes. Keep strumming the same chord until the next one. Song credits: Words by Jane Taylor (1806), French melody Ah! vous dirai-je, maman (1761).
How to strum Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The song is in 4/4: 4 beats in every bar. Count them aloud, and strum down on the numbers and up on the "and".
Easy
Full
Four beats per bar: two down strums on each chord. When that is easy, try down-up on every beat.
Tips for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on guitar
The chords
G, C and D. Most bars split into two chords of two beats each, like C then G.
The tricky part
C to G and back, again and again. Lift only the fingers that need to move: the ring finger travels between the A string and the low E string.
Change the key
To sing higher, keep the same shapes and put a capo on fret 2, which raises the song a whole step, or on fret 4 for two whole steps. The chords on this page and the guitar above stay the same; only the pitch changes.
The story of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The words are the first verse of The Star, a poem by the English writer Jane Taylor published in 1806. They are sung to a French melody of the 1760s, Ah! vous dirai-je, maman, which Mozart used for a set of twelve piano variations.
The same tune carries the alphabet song and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, which is why so many children learn it as their first song.
Source: Words: Jane Taylor, The Star (1806); melody: Ah! vous dirai-je, maman (1761), public domain; chords in G by GOONS Studio.
Frequently asked
What are the chords to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?
In G: G, C, G, C, G, D, G for the first two lines, then G, C, G, D twice, then the first two lines again.
Is Twinkle Twinkle good for learning guitar?
Yes. Three open chords, a slow tempo and regular changes make it a perfect exercise for G, C and D.
Is Twinkle Twinkle the same tune as the alphabet song?
Yes. Both use the French melody Ah! vous dirai-je, maman, and so does Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.
Record your own Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The guitar on this page is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds the rest of the band in the browser - drum machines, a bass, a sampled piano and a sequencer - to record your own version of the song, with a 7-day free trial, no card required.