As I mentioned earlier, the viola and violin are played in a similar manner. The main difference is that the viola is slightly larger, meaning that you must place your fingers slightly farther apart when playing viola than on the violin. Since the instrument is larger, is it also heavier and requires thicker strings and heftier bows.

Viola bows generally weigh anywhere from 69 to 74 grams—about 10 grams heavier than violin bows. One way to tell a viola bow apart from violin bows is by looking at the frog (the part of the bow that is held in the hand). The frog on a viola bow is rounded while the violin bow is pointed. The cello bow also has a rounded frog, but is shorter than both violin and viola bows and weighs around 10 grams more than a viola bow.

Another major difference in playing viola is the use of the alto clef. Alto clef is easy to read (with a bit of practice) once you know that the center line on the music staff is middle C. Although the alto clef was used quite widely in the Baroque period, it is rarely used by instruments other than the viola in modern times. The trombone and cello sometimes use tenor clef, which looks like an alto clef floating one line higher on the music staff. It should be noted that violists also get to use treble clef on occasion when they play in higher registers.

The last major difference between playing the violin and viola is in the production of sound. Generally, because of its thicker strings the viola speaks slower than the violin. That is, it actually takes a bit longer to hear its sound from the time the bow touches the string. Violists need to be mindful of this since we don’t want to be behind the violins in the orchestra! They also need to learn to play slightly shorter strokes than on the violin depending on the desired sound. The viola can be easily lost in the sound of an orchestra, therefore they need to be able to stop and start bow strokes clearly in order to be heard. Violists have to be masters of articulation! Remember that the viola is the middle voice in the string section. They are often the mediator between the articulations of the cellos/basses and the violins (It is no coincidence that violists as people tend to be calm and stable!) Along with sound production comes vibrato! Again, vibrato on the viola is very similar to that of the violin, but it tends to be slightly slower and wider to match the larger size of the instrument. Of course vibrato is purely personal, but a slower and wider vibrato achieves the darker tone that is more commonplace on a viola.

Should you play viola? Well, the most important question to ask yourself is, Do you love the sound of the viola? As was mentioned earlier, the viola has less star power than the violin, cello, or bass, but its beautiful and rich sound quality sets it apart. A modern violist is a team player, who at any moment must be able to jump in and take the lead rhythmically or melodically. A violist tends to have some of the best ears and listening skills of all of the strings due to their location in the center of the orchestra and their middle range of notes amongst the strings. It should be stressed that violists can do anything that violin, cello, or basses can do. It is up to you, the player, to make the viola sing!

It used to be said that violists have more opportunities to play and gain employment than violinists and cellists. That may still be the case to a certain extent, but much less so than in the past. The level of viola playing has risen in the last 100 years and dramatically so in the last 20 to 30 years, when the level and expectations for violists has increased while the number of traditional performing jobs continues to shrink. The bright side to this trend is that the viola has risen to higher and higher artistic standards. There still is performing work out there, but only for very good violists! Recent viola openings in top orchestras have attracted hundreds of applicants. Hundreds of violists for one spot!

Not ready to audition for the New York Philharmonic just yet? Or you haven’t even played the viola? If you want to start playing the viola, there are some physical considerations for youngsters. The smallest violas that are available are 12 inches, which is about the same size as a half-sized violin. Students that are 8 or 9 should be big enough to play a 12-inch viola. Smaller violins may be strung with viola strings with some success, but the sound is usually lacking. As I said before, the reason to play viola is for its sound! For all students and adults, there are many viola outfits (viola, bow, and case) being made for a couple hundred dollars that are perfect for a beginner. More advanced students would want to consider a viola in the $2000 range, and the sky is the limit for professional violists!

If you are switching over to the viola from violin, then you will need to learn how to read the alto clef, but that shouldn’t take too long. Remember that you still need to know treble clef to play the viola in higher registers, so you are ahead!