I started playing the violin using the Suzuki method when I was in 2nd grade. I worked through the first 6 books, and veered away from Suzuki and into more standard repertoire about 4 years later. Suzuki re-entered my life when I was pursuing my Master of Music degree at DePaul University. I was at a point in my life that I'm sure many can relate to-where I was wondering what to do next. One of the teachers in the Community Music division at DePaul was offering Suzuki training classes on-site, and I decided to sign up to make myself more marketable. This one decision changed me and the entire trajectory for my life. I was inspired by the talent of the students and the dedication of the teachers, and I couldn't be more in love with my profession now.

Most students stop using the Suzuki method around book 6 or 7 for two main reasons. First, at this point, you have learned about 90% of the skills you need to carry you throughout your entire violin career. This is not to say that you've mastered the instrument and should stop practicing 😅 But there are not very many completely new things introduced in these books. Second, all of the pieces in the Suzuki method are Classical or Baroque era pieces, and to become a well rounded violinist, you need to have experience playing all different eras of music.

In this post, I will give a brief background of each piece in books 6 & 7 as well as the important techniques involved in each. If you are interested in learning more about these pieces, check out my Suzuki Book 6 and Suzuki Book 7 Online violin courses.

La Folia

In the Suzuki method, typically the last piece in a book is pretty difficult, but the first piece in the next book is a bit of a breather; however, this is not the case in the transition from Book 5 to Book 6. Even though La Folia is the first piece in book 6, I personally think it is the hardest. La Folia is a theme and variations, which means that the piece keeps the same harmonic structure throughout, but the melodies, moods, characters, rhythms, and even time signatures change frequently. There is also a significant double stop and chord section on the last page.

Handel F Major Sonata

Between Suzuki books 6 & 7, there are 3 Handel sonatas! We love Handel, but three might be a bit much 😅 Each of them are also pretty comparable in difficulty. In my Suzuki training, my teacher trainer suggested not learning all 3 up to performance level, but picking your favorite and going all in on that one. The first movement is slow, and the key of F major really lends itself to second position, so you'll see a decent amount of that in the first movement, as well as fourth and fifth positions on the A and D string. The second movement is fast and requires a lot of fast string crossings. The third movement is fairly short and all about phrasing and vibrato. The fourth movement is all about the triplet rhythm.

Fiocco Allegro

The Fiocco Allegro is all about learning to play faster. It's also a great opportunity to practice working things up with the metronome. There is one rather famous section with a lot of mordents in a row. Little tip-use a very fast bow speed on the mordents.

Rameau Gavotte

This is the only piece that has a completely new skill-flying staccato. Flying staccato means that there are several notes going in the same bow direction, but the bow bounces off the string in between each of them. Flying staccato is included in the second half of the piece.

Handel D Major Sonata

This piece is very similar to the Handel F Major. The first movement is slow; the second movement is fast and arguably the hardest movement of the piece. The third movement is slow again (although a little more interesting than the Handel F Major), and the fourth movement has some fast passage work.

Suzuki Book 7

Mozart Minuet

This piece is the first violin part from one of Mozart's string quartets, which is a first in the Suzuki repertoire. It also has the highest note in the entire Suzuki method-a high A on the E string. Watch out for the rhythm in the trio-be sure to play the 16th note on the beat rather than before the beat.

Corelli Courante

The main focus of this piece is the dynamics. The notes themselves are not that difficult, but the phrasing is really what makes it shine. However, most of the dynamics are not written into the music, which is why it is invaluable to have either a private teacher or my Suzuki Book 7 course to help guide you.

Handel A Major Sonata

This piece is made up of four movements: slow-fast-slow-fast. The rhythm of the first movement can be a bit overwhelming since there are such small note values. Little tip-you can always take out a line because the ratios and relationships between the notes stay the same. Eighths become quarters, sixteenths become eighths, 32nds become sixteenths, and so on. The third movement of this piece is only 5 measures 😅 And the focus of the last movement is pitch and rhythm.

Bach A Minor

This is the main event of book 7! This is a very standard concerto, and one that most violinists will likely play regardless if they are using the Suzuki method or not. Intonation is extremely important, as the key of A Minor is friendly to the violin.

Bach Gigue and Courante

These are two movements from a Bach cello suite. It's not a bad idea to substitute some easier solo Bach violin movements in their place, such as the Giga from Partita No.3, the Allemande from Partita No. 2, or the Presto from Sonata No. 1. You're much more likely to play these more often along your violin career.

Corelli Allegro

The final piece in the book is primarily made up of 16th notes. It's another opportunity to practice fast playing.

If you're interested in learning more, don't forget to check out my Suzuki Book 6 course and my Suzuki Book 7 course.