Listening to Your Suzuki Violin Music
Accessing the Suzuki violin recordings is a critical element of your Suzuki Method education.
Here are different commonly used music apps and purchase options.
Mattix Music Studio recommends…
Purchase the music through Alfred Music using the platform you prefer – Alfred/Purple Play, Amazon Music or iTunes. That way you have the latest and best recordings.
What does Ms. Katie do personally?
Ms. Katie purchases the music through Alfred Music directly so it’s linked to her Purple Play app. That way she can slow down the playback speed for students and her own kids during practice.
Then she downloads the mp3s to her computer and imports them into iTunes. Now there are at least two ways to access and play the music from all her devices.
What are the best and most recent recordings?
Books 1-3: Hilary Hahn, violin & Natalie Zhu, piano
Books 4-6: Augustin Hadelich, violin and Kuang-Hao Huang, piano
Books 7-8: Koji Toyoda, violin
Scroll down for paid and free listening options.
Where to purchase Suzuki Violin Books 1-3
Where to purchase Suzuki Violin Books 4-6
Suzuki Violin Book 1
Suzuki Violin Book 3
Suzuki Violin Book 8
What about Books 9 and 10?
Suzuki Violin Books 9 and 10 are the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major and No. 4 in D Major.
We recommend listening to the recordings below because they use the same cadenzas as the Suzuki books (Joachim) and are standard interpretations of the concertos.
Of course, you may have a different favorite performer of your own, and feel free to explore other cadenzas and recordings on your own.
These recordings are easily found on streaming platforms and YouTube.
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major (Suzuki Book 9)
Hilary Hahn, violin with Paavo Järvi, conductor and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonic Bremen orchestra
or
Isaac Stern, violin with George Szell, conductor and the Szell Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major (Suzuki Book 10)
Ray Chen, violin with Christoph Eschenbach, conductor and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra
or
Isaac Stern, violin with George Szell, conductor and the Szell Columbia Symphony Orchestra
PAID OPTIONS
1. Alfred Music & Purple Play App
Purple Play in App Store
Purple Play in Google Play Store
Pros:
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- Latest recordings
- You can control the playback speed (slow down for student paced practice)
- Instantly linked to your Alfred Music account
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Cons:
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- Purple Play app needs to be downloaded on different devices.
- Alfred doesn’t have Book 7-8 available to purchase at this time.
- Most expensive download ($15.99)
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2. iTunes
Book 1 Suzuki Evergreens for free with an Apple Music subscription
Purchase the latest recordings through Alfred Music to your iTunes account
Pros:
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- Easy to share your purchased music across all your devices
- Make playlists with your music to listen to particular tracks more often
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Cons:
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- Outdated recording if you use Suzuki Evergreens
- Can’t control the playback speed
- Purchase each album for $9.99 or sign up for an Apple Music subscription
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3. Amazon
Pros:
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- “Alexa, play Suzuki violin book 1”
- Latest recordings
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Cons:
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- You may need to download the mp3s to your iTunes account to play them
- Amazon Music subscription required or $8.99 per album
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FREE OPTIONS
1. Spotify
Search for “Suzuki Evergreens”
Pros:
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- Included with Spotify subscription
- Many different playlists already created
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Cons:
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- Outdated recording
- Can’t control the playback speed
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2. YouTube
Violin Book 1 Playlist
Complete Book 1-10 Playlist
Pros:
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- Web-based, easily accessed on any device
- Control the playback speed for slower practice
- Free
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Cons:
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- Ads, pop-ups, auto-plays
- Outdated recording
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3. Amazon Music
Suzuki Evergreens
Violin Book 1 from Suzuki Evergreens
Pros:
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- “Alexa, play Suzuki violin book 1”
- Free
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Cons:
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- Amazon Music subscription required
- Outdated recording
- Can’t control the playback speed
- Can’t make playlists
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Need help navigating your Suzuki listening?
Reach out!
Our staff would be delighted to talk with you and help you decide what is best for your family.
[email protected]
708-638-3027