{"id":5357,"date":"2021-10-15T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=5357"},"modified":"2023-01-13T09:29:23","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T17:29:23","slug":"twinkle-twinkle-5-styles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/twinkle-twinkle-5-styles\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Styles of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cTwinkle Twinkle Little Star\u201d isn\u2019t just a song for kids. You can actually do A LOT with this basic melody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this very<\/em> special mini lesson, guest artist Kevin Castro<\/a> will show you \u201cTwinkle Twinkle\u201d in five genres. Trust me\u2014it\u2019ll blow your mind! \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> this is a more advanced lesson that requires some previous theory knowledge. So get comfortable with chords first. Beginners can try our free Chord Hacks<\/a> course or read How to Play Piano Chords<\/a> to get a feel for the basics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83c\udfb9 Latin Piano Essentials with Kevin Castro<\/b><\/h5><\/center>

If you feel inspired by this lesson, Kevin Castro is releasing a six-part Latin jazz course with Pianote in November, and you can access this when you become a Pianote Member. Not sure whether you want to become a member yet? No problem! Try Pianote for 90 days and get your money back if you\u2019re not totally satisfied.<\/p>

TRY PIANOTE<\/a><\/p><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n

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Twinkle Twinkle: The Basics \u2b50<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, before you go spicing up your \u201cTwinkle Twinkle,\u201d practice playing it in its basic form first. To make things simple, here\u2019s the melody and the chords in C Major:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DOWNLOAD LEAD SHEET PDF<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n
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Jazz \ud83c\udfb7<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first style we\u2019ll explore is jazz. Jazz is all about using \u201cjazzy\u201d chords and a swing rhythm. Let\u2019s break this down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking Bass Line with Approach Tones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This bass line sounds fancy! What Kevin essentially does here is play a 1-6-2-5-3-6-2-5 progression. This is a very common turnaround pattern in jazz. The specific chords Kevin uses are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cmaj7 – A7b9* – Dm9** – G13 – Em7 – A7 – Dm9 – G13<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*A: Kevin plays this as a major chord with a flat 9 (A-C#-E-G-Bb)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

**Dm: Kevin plays this as a Dm9 (D-F-A-C-E) but a normal Dm7 (D-F-A-C) sounds good too<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds jazzy and more complex because Kevin uses approach tones<\/strong>. Approach tones are notes that proceed another note that is either a half or whole step away from your target note. For example, he uses Ab to approach A and Eb to approach D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add Some Swing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What sets jazz apart from, say, classical is the swing rhythm. So avoid playing Mozart-style (everything rhythmically even) and add some syncopation to your playing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From DIY Pianist to Professional Artist<\/b><\/h5><\/center>

Today, Kevin Castro plays with top artists like JESSIA. But his beginnings were humble. In fact, Kevin started his piano journey by learning from YouTube tutorials as a teen. Take a look at his incredible story and get a mini-lesson in re-harmonizing here<\/a>.\n<\/p><\/span>\n\n\n\n

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Rock \ud83c\udfb8<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Next, we\u2019ll kick things up a notch with some old-school rock\u2019n\u2019roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rock Shuffle \/ Driving Bass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A rhythmic, driving bass is a key part of rock. Kevin uses a common rock shuffle pattern here. He alternates the top note of chord shells (like C-G and F-C) with the note immediately above it (A and D, respectively).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Slides<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another thing Kevin does are slides<\/strong>. These are little grace notes (twinkles!) that he uses to approach some of the chords. For example, he slides from Eb into a C major triad (C-E-G).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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