Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Exercise

Originally a tune composed by Mozart himself and then redone as a French folk piece, this rhyme for me has got to be one of the good ways to make inroads into music or find newer ways of growing as a musician technically and theoretically. I have chosen exercises which can be practiced on Piano, but this could also apply if you play other instruments as well- Guitar, Bass, Drums, Singing & Hand Claps! The techniques are pretty much the same. So here goes…

You all probably know the melody of the piece. If not, you probably didn’t go to school. Start it on C or Sa or whichever of the 12 root notes you prefer. It’s obviously considered easier on the piano on C as you will only play white keys throughout the piece. While figuring it out as a beginner you should be able to assure yourself of one simple fact:

“I can play music”

Twin- kle twin- kle | lit- tle star |

How I won- der | what you are |

Up a- bove the | world so high|

Like a dia- mond | in the sky |

How to count:

If you count the syllables, there are 7 per line. however the last syllables- “star”, “are”, “high”, “sky” are all observed a beat extra. Treat it as a half note (minim) or a note having 2 counts. Every other note has 1 count (Quarter note pulse) and the method of counting is 4 beats per bar. I put bar lines to show you each count.

If you do the math: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 | 1 + 1 + 2 |
Twin- kle Twin- kle Lit- tle star

Same applies for the remaining lines of the song.

Exercises:

Play the same tune with the following variations:

Play the melody with 2 notes played in the time of 1 (Eighth notes) {Eg: By the time you say “Twin” ->> you would have played 2 C’s}
Play the melody with 3 notes played in the time of 1 (Eighth notes triplets) {Eg: By the time you say “Lit-” ->> you would have played 3 A’s} TIP: To count triplets, try saying 1 & a 2 & a etc… as you play along.
Play the melody with 4 notes played in the time of 1 (Sixteenth notes) {Eg: By the time you say “Up” ->> you would have played 4 G’s}
Play the melody with 3 notes played in the time of 1 but omitting the middle of the 3 ->> 1 _ 3 (Swing- in simple words) {You may at this point feel the swing groove}
Play the melody with 4 notes played in the time of 1 but omit any of the 4 notes as you wish and create a rhythmic pattern {Eg: 1 _ 3 4, 1 2 _ 4, 1 _ _ 4} TIP: To count 16th notes try saying 1 e & a 2 e & a etc… as you play along.
The trick is to SING along and play at the same time. The goal is not to sing in key but to get the words to sound with your voice in time.
Advanced: For more ambitious musicians especially drummers try ¼ note triplets in one hand and ¼ notes in the other hand. If you are a drummer then probably use the hit hat to keep time. If you play piano, then use the left hand to play C constantly as ¼ notes and then practice all the variations listed above. Go for quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets if you feel confident enough but remember to keep time. Use a metronome if you feel the need (About 60 bpm works nicely)
Harmony: As a pianist or a finger-style guitarist, try playing some harmony. I have composed a bass part as follows. Use your left hand for the same (Piano) or a free string on the guitar. Feel free to change the notes as you wish. I have composed all quarter notes for simplicity except for line 3 where E-F are played as eighths.