Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
The tune this whole tradition starts on. Shinichi Suzuki built his entire first book around it, and for good reason: six notes, a shape you already carry in your ear, and every bowing problem in miniature.
Phrase 1 — "Twinkle, twinkle, little star"
How to play it
Start in the middle of the bow, a small down-bow, and keep every stroke short and even — about a third of the bow, staying in the middle. The first four notes are open strings: no left hand at all. Drop the 1st finger cleanly for F♯. Listen for the string change from A to E to be seamless — the whole arm tips to a new level, the bow speed doesn't change.
Phrase 2 — "How I wonder what you are"
How to play it
All on the A string now — a walk down: 3rd finger, high 2, 1st finger, open. Keep each finger you pass hovering just above the string so it's ready on the way back up. Same short strokes in the middle of the bow. The last note is long, two counts: a full, even down-bow, and hold it dead in tune before you lift.
Phrase 3 — "Up above the world so high"
How to play it
The bridge. Open E, then straight onto the 3rd finger on the A string — put that finger down early, while the bow is still on the E string, so the note is waiting for you. Then a smooth step down.
Phrase 4 — "Like a diamond in the sky"
How to play it
Exactly phrase 3 again — the bridge repeats. Same early 3rd finger on the A string, same smooth step down.
Then phrases 1 and 2 return to close — "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are." The whole shape is 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 1 – 2.
The whole tune, to play through
The one thing this tune is for
The bow. Before the left hand ever joins, Suzuki has students play the Twinkle rhythms — short-short-long-long and its cousins — on open strings, drilling a clean start, a stopped bow, and an even stroke. Everything after Twinkle assumes those are in place.
The usual mistake
The half note at the end of each phrase gets clipped — cut to a quarter and a rest — because the bow ran out or the count stopped. Hold it the full two beats, counting "3–4". And the string crossing to the A string (on "wonder" and in the bridge) comes out scrapy when the 3rd finger lands late — put it down while the bow is still on the E string.