Ranking all 10 Suzuki books

In this post, I rank all 10 Suzuki books in order of how much I like them.

#10: Book 8

This is the book I'm least familiar with. As a Suzuki student myself, I stopped using the method in Book 6. One of the major cons of the Suzuki method, especially in the more advanced books, is that it includes only Baroque and Classical repertoire. In order to become a well rounded violinist, it's ideal to play music from all periods of music, which just can't be accomplished with strictly Suzuki. My biggest qualm with this book is that it includes a movement from solo Bach, but without all of the double stops! I would personally prefer to have a student learn a complete piece that is more at their ability level, than revise a more advanced piece. In my opinion, there's better pieces to play at this level than the ones that are included in the book.

#9: Book 7

The centerpiece of Suzuki Book 7 is the Bach A Minor Concerto. This is a fairly standard piece and one that you'll likely learn even if you're not using Suzuki. The other pieces in the book include another Handel Sonata (when we already had 2 in Book 6), and 2 movements from Bach Cello Suites. Why do we need to learn Bach Cello Suites when we have some incredible Bach solo violin pieces?! In my opinion, the Bach A Minor Concerto is really the only necessary piece from this book.

#8: Book 10

Books 9 and 10 are just Mozart concertos. Book 9 is Mozart A Major No. 5 and Book 10 is Mozart D Major No. 4. These are both standard pieces that every violinist should play. I personally have studied No. 3 and No. 5 more in depth than No. 4, which is why it is lower on my rankings.

#7: Book 9

This is the Mozart A Major Concerto; one I have played for auditions several times. However, you don't really need to be in Suzuki to learn this piece, so that's why it's relatively low on my list.

#6: Book 1

I have mad respect for Book 1. In many ways, I think it is the hardest book because you are learning so much. However, the pieces are not the most interesting. I do like the Minuets towards the end of the book, and I really like the last piece, the Gossec Gavotte; however, Gossec Gavotte is usually too hard for students at this point which can make it hard to get through.

#5: Book 5

The centerpiece of Suzuki Book 5 is the Vivaldi G Minor Concerto. I like this piece, but I like another one of his concertos better (subtle foreshadowing 😝) I don't particularly like the Country Dance or the German Dance, but I understand their pedagogical points. The last piece of the book is just the first violin part of the Bach Double, which can be a bit boring since we've played the second violin part already. I also think it's a bit strange that the second movement of the Vivaldi A Minor Concerto is here and not in book 4.

#4: Book 6

I absolutely love La Folia, which is the first piece in the book. I think it's a ton of fun both to listen to and to play. However, it is significantly more difficult than the last piece in book 5 (the Bach Double) so sometimes students struggle with it. The Handel F Major also holds a special place in my heart. I played it for a performance that I vividly remember back in 6th grade. I felt so proud of myself and like a true musician, so I have great feelings around that piece.

#3: Book 2

I really like all of the pieces in Book 2. I always say that the Beethoven Minuet reminds me of being on a cafe in Paris sipping coffee and who doesn't want to do that right?! The Boccherini Minuet is also very famous and a lot of fun to play. This book is typically when I introduce shifting and vibrato, both big topics that are milestones in any violinists career.

#2: Book 3

I think that all of the pieces in Book 3 have really fun characters to explore. Humoresque is my favorite piece of the book, and I love encouraging students to be creative with the different sections. The final piece, the Bach Bourree, is quintessential Bach without being too terribly difficult.

#1: Book 4

Book 4 holds my two favorite pieces in the entire Suzuki repertoire: the Vivaldi A Minor Concerto and the Bach Double.

What are your favorite and least favorite Suzuki books?! Leave a comment and let me know!