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It’s hard to imagine anything more fundamental to the English-speaking world than “The Alphabet Song.” We all know it, regardless of which corner of the globe we hail from.
And if you know “The Alphabet Song,” congratulations! You actually know three songs, not just one. While there are slight differences because of the number and placement of syllables in the lyrics, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep” use the same basic melody.
That melody is originally French, an anonymous folk tune that was paired with the nursery rhyme “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman” in the early 18th century. But after Mozart published twelve variations on the tune in 1781, it apparently became the world’s first ear worm. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Baa, Baa Black Sheep,” and “The Alphabet Song” all appeared in print for the first time over the next several decades, and all used variations of that same French folk melody.
Playing Tips
All three of these songs are fairly simple, with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” being the simplest. It’s the perfect song for the absolute beginner as every note is either played twice in a row or held for two beats at the end of a phrase.
At its core, the tune is a slow movement up and down the G major scale with the occasional small jump. It might sound trivial, but getting the pattern of the major scale intervals embedded in your brain and your fingers is a fundamental first step to learning music.
“Baa, Baa Black Sheep” and “The Alphabet Song” are only slight variations to the original song, adding eighth notes where appropriate to match the syllables of the lyrics. “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” extends the range two notes higher into the scale as well, using a full octave and hitting that high G in measures 2 and 10.
Taken together, this trio of tunes is a great progression for beginners, introducing the major scale and several simple rhythmic ideas around a melody that is familiar to virtually everyone.
Chords, Chords, Chords
The challenge with these songs lies in the chords. Four chords is a lot to worry about for any beginner tune, but the challenge is doubled with that tricky B minor that pops up briefly in measures 1 and 9. Luckily, you can just leave it out entirely if it’s too difficult at first. The G chord works fine over the entire measure in both cases.
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is embedded below with download links for all three song PDFs at the bottom.
Don’t have a low G uke? Not a problem. I’ve included standard (high G) TABs for all three songs as well. Happy picking!
Low G Sheet Music
High G Sheet Music
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