So, I've been practicing for the last month and since I don't have lessons right now I've been trying the Rubank method on my own instead of the Suzuki. Which is better? That's up to personal preference. For me, I like Rubank a lot better than Suzuki.
So what's the difference? Simply put, it's how they go about teaching (the "method" they use).
Suzuki likes to drop you into the music and start you off with 4 very short exercises where you'll start off by needing to play sixteenth notes , eighth notes, and half notes immediately. Then they move you straight into learning a song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to be exact. If you've played instruments before and you know what the notes are and how they work then maybe Suzuki is okay for you. Personally, even though I have played a number of percussion instruments all through school starting in elementary, I still found this to be difficult and aggravating for me. As my wife put it "It seems like Suzuki put's you in the middle of a battle before teaching you how to fight." An interesting analogy and I tend to agree. It's way too much too fast with little help or warming up.
Rubank, on the other hand, is a lot slower and far more methodical. It starts off with 14 exercises teaching the basic quarter note and rest first. Then it goes to half and whole notes next. I'm only on lesson 8 and I still haven't seen an eighth note anywhere let alone a sixteenth note. It might seem dull that you don't play a song right away, but don't be fooled. The exercises do have melodies to them and they ease the player into the more complicated tunes. Rubank takes a lot more time having the player develop the skills to move their fingers along the fingerboard even going so far as to have the player learn to use the 4th finger by lesson 8 and only having actual songs to play by lesson 10. So you get a lot more time to practice and get your fingers moving into the right positions before you're thrown to the proverbial wolves.
Now, I'm a methodical and rather logical person. For me Rubank gives me a method I can relate to by getting good at playing the notes before I play the songs.
Suzuki is more for those who like to jump in with both feet and sink or swim right away. For me it's just plain frustrating but there are a lot of people who like doing things this way.
If you're uncertain which method you should try, why not pick up the Rubank Elementary method for violin and the Suzuki Volume 1 Violin Part and give them both a try. See which one you like better and then go ahead and get the rest of the books for your chosen method when you're ready. Rubank is about $6 USD and Suzuki is about $9.
No matter which book you choose there is one very important thing to remember: don't skip the exercises. If you go straight into the songs in either book you'll be in over your head. As boring as it may seem, start with the beginning exercises. They will help you greatly. Get good at playing the exercises and then move on to the songs. You don't need to be perfect but you need to be able to get your fingers in the right position and your bow moving at the right speed and direction.
I hope this was helpful. Enjoy playing your violin.
