# Suzuki Piano Method or Traditional?



## soul_syringe

hi all! just curious... what would you go for? Suzuki or traditional piano method?


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## MrWaltz

I know someone who uses the Suzuki method but i don't really know what kind of method that is, kindly tell.


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## MrWaltz

I have researched the Suzuki Method and found out that:

The big knock on Suzuki is that children start learning by rote, and this can hinder their ability to later read music. The answer to that is: children learn language by rote and later learn to read. Most enlightened Suzuki teachers begin their students on a reading program from quite early, but don't hesitate to ask a potential teacher about learning to read music. Children are capable of reading music as soon as they are capable of reading words, and once they have achieved a solid posture, positioning of fingers and sense of pitch, reading should not be delayed.

Suppose your child is older, maybe nine? The Suzuki Method is fine for the older child, but a traditional method also has a lot of appeal. The older child does not need quite as much parental oversight and is ready to handle more concepts at once. Traditional teachers tend to start reading music right away, using method books, scales and other pieces to help the child learn.


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## Jonno

I was suzuki piano trained for 9 years and found it to be an excellent method for teaching CLASSICAL piano. I have since started to learn improvising through the instruction of a traditional teacher. I have often been complimented by other musicians and nonmusicians of my tone. I attribute this to suzuki training.
Sightreading came easy to me even though many people with the suzuki method have struggled with it. The theory of my first teacher was for me to learn the song, put the book in front of me, and I would then recognize what I was playing and assimalate it to the notes on the page. This worked great for me, but I have three other siblings who still struggle a lot with it.
Here are some pros and cons:

Pros: Great training on classical pieces, good interpretation, good tone color, exceptional ear training, fast progression through difficult pieces, motivational.

Cons: Tends to focus solely on classical (which is a good foundation), usually slow/poor sightreading abilities (except in a few cases like mine), can be rigorous and strict (which is good and bad).

Overall, I would personally teach my kids in the suzuki method, but would tweak it somewhat to help with the listed cons. Of course all I say is relative to the teacher of either method. I have had 5 different suzuki teachers and they all vary in their methods. I know as much can be said of traditional teachers as well. Dr. Suzuki wrote several books. I would encourage anyone to read them and learn what they will.


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