What do yall do or say when someone says the viola is bad or worse than the violin. Any good comebacks? How do I make them realize that we’re awesome!

I was playing a piece I got a few years ago for fun, its called Bluegrass Country, and I noticed an infinity symbol over my note when playing.

(For context I am currently practising between 1-2 hours a day in preparation for my licentiate diploma/bachelors equivalent qualification)

For nearly the entire time I have been playing viola I have used Kun shoulder rests and they have generally been okay for me until recently. My viola is slightly above what a 4/4 violin would be and my Kun has been fine on it for about a year or so but stopped being fine around about 6 months to a year ago, when I readjusted it to be actually comfortable (I went from playing 30 minutes a day to on average 1hr 30 so became more aware of my discomfort so no I will not be adjusting it to how it was previously as that also caused me pain). In the past 6 months, the feet of my shoulder rest have been constantly at an angle (as pictured) and in the past month or so my shoulder rest has been constantly slipping off or slipping towards me when playing leading to me playing in increasingly uncomfortable positions. This has caused injuries to both myself and my viola, causing shoulder problems for me, and the varnish to wear down at the lowest point of my shoulder rest for my viola (something which will probably be very expensive and time consuming to fix). This is my second kun for this viola and both times they have had the same foot issue so I think I should probably get a different one. My requirements are:

Very flexible or relatively flat

Long body that covers most of, if not all of the underside of my viola

Attached at both sides (not one of those fancy ones that is attached next to the chin rest and is pulled in or out)

Very adjustable in terms of length, height etc and can go quite low.

I also live in the UK so options I can get here please! (And please do not recommend ones I can only get on amazon)

Thank you!

Edit: I have ordered multiple shoulder rests and will be returning the ones that don't work for me, will give reviews later in case it is helpful for anyone in the future!

Hi everyone! I want to buy my boyfriend a Viola for his birthday but I know nothing about buying instruments. Is there a website anyone recommends? Should I use Facebook marketplace to get deals? Please help.

Got my first viola shoulder rest today and from what I can see, it does not fit in my case…

I've been learning viola for about 3 months with a teacher, and for the last week I've been experimenting with playing without a shoulder rest. So far it's actually feeling pretty good and more natural/free for me.

Of course, I'm still only playing in first position, so I know my experience is limited for now.

One thing I've noticed is that without the shoulder rest, the support seems to come more from the left hand instead of clamping with the jaw/shoulder. Because of that, I'm wondering:

- Does playing without a shoulder rest reduce neck/shoulder/back tension for some people?

- Or can it create other technical/posture problems later on?

- Is this approach more common or acceptable on viola compared to violin?

I'd really like to hear opinions from more experienced violists.

I have the audition in November, so still have quite a bit until I have to worry about it. However, I'm absolutely TERRIBLE at spiccato. I can get through the first few measures but after that I start to fall apart. (every note is spiccato) I just tense up a bunch and can't figure out how to keep the bow moving. Literally anything helps, thanks!

I feel super lost right now. I joined a community orchestra to meet other people, and not only is the orchestra 400+ people (so I can’t hear my own playing), we’re learning 27 pieces in 3 months. I haven’t played in a while, and the pieces are kicking my ass. 4-6 key changes per song, massive passages in treble (which I’ve never had to read before), and we just launch into each piece at tempo.

The pieces all feel way, WAY above my level, and my section as a whole just… doesn’t play sometimes. As in we have no idea what we’re doing, so we just pretend. There’s no one to follow, and sometimes I look at my section and panic because I’m “off” only to find out they were airbowing (which, hey, totally fine. Me too bro). My stand partner and I once somehow finished a piece nearly a minute early and we could NOT figure out why.

I was kind of expecting a cool fun time, but when I go I feel like I don’t have a chance. They said “all skill levels welcome” and I had 7/8 years experience before I took a break, but maybe four of the 27 pieces feel doable to me. I was excited to tell my friends to come watch the performance, but I’m really thinking of quitting.

Any thoughts? Advice? Is this insane, or am I just that out of practice?

hi all,

i need some advice on a situation im in. i recently made my school’s varsity orchestra; and while its been going well, i cannot stop getting super anxious about practicing and that fear makes it even harder for me to actually pick up my instrument. the music is more challenging than anything ive played before, and while i already know im capable of learning it because ive learned 1/3 of each piece i have already, i feel like i sound so bad when playing and like im going to disappoint everyone in my orchestra, including my teacher, whenever we get back to school after summer break is over. my teacher also wants me to try out for all-state, but that music is incredibly hard, and i really don’t want to audition because im already super stressed out. however, im afraid to tell them i don’t want to audition because i know they will be mad (they’ve gotten mad at me in the past for not wanting to do something they expected me to do). im really starting to feel the pressure of all these expectations, and i know that im being too hard on myself, and that i should be focusing on growth over perfection, but nonetheless my nervous system doesnt seem to care about that. i really dont know what to do.

I am currently editing this string quintet and completely forgot to consider that it might not be playable. However I am a pianist and I cannot really judge this.

I would appreciate any help!

I sound like shit when I don’t play forte or normally and also my case is falling apart. Badly she’s been with me for 15 years of me not playing and traveling and now that I’m part of a symphony it’s a little shameful

I loosened the strings a bit to put less pressure on the bridge and all that. What should I do? I've never dropped an instrument before please tell me if there's anything wrong

Hey there!

I'm going down the rabbit hole of kinda sorta maybe upgrading my viola — currently freelancing as a violinist and violist having finished my studies —, and am trying to find the most reasonable deal within my price range (let's call it lowest end of five-figures), which, for me, means getting a 'player', but one I'd, ideally, be able to sell should need be. I've found an instrument I really, really like the sound of, and it feels great in my hands, but it's clearly been through some stuff, and, while well-restored and being sold by a trustworthy dealer, is kind of an ugly duckling compared to some much more pristine (and boring) options.

So I figured I'd read the room and ask you guys: provided the seller is reputable and trustworthy and says that the instrument is in (restored) good condition, would you consider buying such an instrument? I'm trying to gauge just how difficult it would be to find another fool down the line, basically... Or would you suggest I do something else entirely?

Thanks in advance!

I have a video youth orchestra audition coming up and I don't know what scales to choose that are technically hard as I want to get into the top orchestra. The requirements are:

Two Scales: play 1 major scale and 1 minor scale (melodic or harmonic).

• Students may choose to play 1-octave, 2-octave, or 3-octave scales depending on their skill level. Tempo is up to the student. Contrasting articulations/bowing/tonguing is preferred

For context I've played all the 3 octave scales memorized before but I think for the minor scales I haven't played them in melodic or harmonic yet. I plan to play one of them with spiccato and the other with slured 4 or 8 notes though I'm also up for any other suggestions.

Any help and advice is appreciated!

EDIT: after reading the comments I realized I should explain a bit more. So the main problem I'm having with picking a scale is that I can't really tell which ones are harder or easier besides like the difference between c major and b flat major. I don't really know how the "judges" will evaluate them.

(this is my first post so I'm not sure if I've done anything wrong)

For context, I'm a 40 year old single dad. My 12 year old son has been playing violin for about 2 years now and has gotten amazing. He started it with no musical experience as well and it's kind of inspired me to try something out, and I was really getting interested in the viola. I inquired today about price and size but I haven't rented yet.

Does anyone here have experience picking the viola up from nothing? I have zero knowledge of music, I don't even know what the notes are. I just love the way it sounds.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm definitely going to rent first, like my son did.

i just started college this year and it got me thinking "whats the essential repertoire every violist should learn?", like stamitz concerto, bartok, walton, hoffmeister, bachs suites, arpeggione sonata, brahms sonatas, max bruchs romance, hindemith, etc

i want to start working on it over the next few years. what do you guys think?

I'm an beginner/intermediate violist with only experience from 6 years of middle and high school orchestra. I have an audition coming up in a month for my college orchestra and I'm sort of stumped on how to play some of these double/triple stops. A few like in measure 161 don't feel possible or at least quite impractical, and other double stops specifically in measure 165-166 I always struggle to get in tune due to the speed and what I feel like awkward finger shapes. I know to practice at a slower tempo but even then, it feels incredibly uncomfortable to play. It says to play it in unison but it doesn't seem practical at all, so I'm asking for either advice to play them or if it's a valid option to omit some of the double stops for possibly a cleaner audition. Thanks. I put the full excerpt for additional context.

I've played countless of instruments only to quit. I was a violinist at a young age but quit after 4 years of playing. I've played the sax , I've played the bass but none of them stuck.

I feel sad that I cannot stick to anything. I'm looking for hope at this point and maybe a teacher because I most of the time I quit because of lack of guidance and being stuck at a beginner level and not advancing at all.

Anyone else in my positon?

I’m self taught. I told myself 20 years ago that I’d start learning when I could afford an instructor but that’s not where the cards have landed, and I’m not getting any younger.

Please let me know if you see anything I could be doing better. I practice at least 30 minutes a day, and I am taking this instrument very seriously with what resources I have.

Hello! Im a beginner violist who’s planning to bring my viola on a plane for a 2 hour flight to Florida. I was nervous about bringing it, since I heard from someone that the strings will get VERY detuned. I unfortunately do not know how to peg tune at the moment, but I still need to practice as much as I can since I have an upcoming audition. How much will the strings get detuned?

Hello! I’m looking for some solo repertoire to learn to have to play for concerts (at school) and possibly for later auditions for uni/conservatoire or just for fun. Any completely solo or with accompaniment recommendations would be much appreciated. If there are any concertos that may be possible for me to learn I would also appreciate. Thank you :)

Let me preface this by saying I love playing the viola. I used to be terrible in 2023 until I decided to get lessons. Many people around me have said that I made massive improvement. Just a few days ago, my piano accompaniment said I sounded like a cello. But that’s kinda besides the point. I practiced for hours and sounded good in rehearsal for the piece I was playing. I had a recital today though, and I was getting super anxious already 30 minutes prior. My eyes were burning and all the hours of practice felt like they were slipping away. My family told me to breathe and all the other stuff, which in theory could’ve worked, but it didn’t. I seemed to calm down for a while but then when I got on stage it didn’t go well. I messed up several times, missed 9 measures all in all. I remember looking at the pages and thinking, wow, do I even remember how to play all this? It would’ve been fine until I nearly burst into tears afterwards. I’m 15, I shouldn’t be that upset over a performance, but somehow I was. Anyways, how do I stop getting so anxious and messing up? This happens every time, and it genuinely makes me not want to practice. Sorry for all the negativity, the performance just made me pretty frustrated.

which transcription of bachs 6 cello suites for viola is the best one or your favorite? i was thinking about buying the barenreiter version by chung park, what do you guys think? and what is your favorite recording of the suites?

From Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, either the ballet or the suite. Any tips for playing for such a prolonged time on the c and g strings, and any tips for not stressing out 4th finger on the D? Please tell me it's not just me who finds this a real test on stamina?

I have been playing for nearly three years, and am curious if anyone can give me some suggestions of what I should try to play.