Thanks for the responses! I guess going forward I should be looking for music in C Major. I found a version of Twinkle Twinkle in C Major and it sounds much better. I don't think I'm ready to start messing with octaves too much (and I really wish i could bind them to something that isn't shift cnt or alt...) but I feel like I actually understand now so I should have more luck going forward.
Thanks so much!!