Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Playing the Viola* (*but were afraid to ask)

Written by Jonah Sirota
Published: March 4, 2015 at 3:23 PM [UTC]

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the violin, I did, but it was never truly at home in my hands, its sound never truly my own. Perhaps you have had a similar experience? If so, it really doesn’t hurt to give the viola a shot. As the T-shirt says,

But how? If you’re a violinist, and can get access to a viola to play, it’s simple enough to pick it up and start making sound. But is it really the same as a violin? What do those of us who play the viola have to do differently from violinists to sound (and feel) great on the instrument? Over the next few entries, I will be exploring what it means to play the viola, in a series I’m calling “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Playing the Viola* (*but were afraid to ask).” We’ll cover the gamut, from clef-reading to setup, from sound production to keeping your body happy and healthy. Violinists may find useful advice that they can bring back to their “instrument of origin,” and I hope that even seasoned violists may find something helpful and new to integrate into their playing. Of course I’m also excited to know what works for you--I look forward to learning from you in the comments.

For today, let’s begin at the beginning. What do you do when approaching the viola for the first time?

Let’s talk a bit about the physical set-up of your viola. Although this is a controversial topic with opinions as varied as there are different players, certain things seem to resonate for me again and again. You are an individual, with your own characteristics. Luckily, the viola doesn’t have standard sizing, which is actually kind of a wonderful thing! Your height, the width and strength of your back and shoulders, the length of your arms, fingers, and neck--each of these has profound implications on what size and setup of a viola might be ideal for you. To have a positive first experience on the instrument, it is important to start out playing on an instrument that fits your body well.

This is not rocket science, but it can be tricky at times to know what to look for when the instrument is already going to feel somewhat foreign to begin with. My advice? Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find a teacher, or a good luthier or dealer experienced with fitting instruments. You are looking for someone who understands that different bodies will have different needs. While there are strong ideologies out there, they can easily become a trap. What’s best for one player may not be for another. (For example: if you have a relatively short neck and a jaw that interfaces well with your chinrest, you may find it freeing to play the viola without a shoulder rest, opting instead to use only a small pad under the instrument for grip. However, this setup may be disastrous for someone with a longer neck, who will need some support under the instrument if they are not going to either grip the neck too hard with the left hand or the let instrument drop to an angle not fit for healthy sound production.)

Variables in viola that really make a difference in the physical experience of playing the instrument include instrument body length, string length, instrument weight, neck width, and body width. Some of these can be interrelated, but usually it is possible to find violas where the characteristics of the instrument are pleasantly independent from one another. So, for example, if you are of smaller build, with narrow shoulders and relatively short arms and fingers, you can look for an instrument with a short string length, lighter weight, and a narrow neck, but one that may still have a decent body length allowing some depth of sound on the low end of the instrument. Likewise a medium-build player with long fingers and large finger pads might prefer an instrument that is not too big in body length, but that has a longer string length and a wider neck. It is tempting to think that the bigger the instrument, the deeper and richer the sound, and there are certainly examples of this being true, but there are also amazingly rich-sounding smaller instruments out there. In the long term it will not be a worthwhile endeavor to play on an instrument that is too big for your body. The viola takes more muscle to play, and you don’t want to overstrain your shoulders and neck and cause injury…

Once you have an appropriately sized instrument, you’ll need to think about how to hold it. Just like on the violin, the top surface of the instrument should stay parallel to the floor (like a tabletop). However, because the contact point of the viola is further away from the body than it is on the violin, violists have to be more careful about the angle at which the instrument meets the shoulder and neck. If the viola heads straight out over the left shoulder (in a style that can seem quite amenable to sound projection and is often successful on the violin), it will be nearly impossible to maintain or “track” a good contact point all the way to the tip of the bow. This is especially a concern for those violists with shorter arms. The ideal is to have the viola “leave” the body at a 45-degree angle from the torso, and to have the bow arm also at about a 45-degree angle (this symmetry in both arms is not a coincidence, we’ll talk more about that in a later installment!). Watch a really great viola performance, such as this video of Tabea Zimmerman performing the Penderecki Concerto:

...and you’ll see how much the performer prioritizes maintaining the integrity of that arrangement. This allows the contact point to always have a consistent focus, and (as we will discuss next time) the contact point is where all the magic happens!

To complete the setup on your viola, don’t forget to think about the right chinrest—remember that these can be swapped out on an instrument—and, if needed, a shoulder-rest that fits you well. I talked about how to position the instrument before talking about these items because you want the chinrest and shoulder-rest to fit your playing position, instead of the other way around! Bring a teacher or friend you trust to your string shop and try out different chinrest and shoulder-rest combinations. A good shop will be glad to help you try different options. (Don’t feel guilty about using their time this way--you will likely be buying something, and if you have a good experience, you are more likely to return to the shop.) Many violists feel that they need extra padding on the lower edge of their shoulder rest to support the gap between instrument and torso. You have likely seen players with extra sponges or cushions attached to their shoulder rest with a rubber band. Don’t be afraid to look at an option like that, if it helps you position the instrument well. Also, some violists like the Bonmusica shoulder rest because it is very customizable (you can actually shape the rest with your hands), but plenty just go with the old-school Kun, or other similar options.

Congratulations, you should now have a viola set-up and ready to play. So, now what? You’ll just have to keep reading! Next time: The String, Your “Road” to Great Sound

You might also like:

• Primrose International Viola Competition: Master class with Pierre-Henri Xuereb
• Primrose Viola Festival: Recital by David Aaron Carpenter; Viola Gems; and Canadian Graded Exams
• The Chiara String Quartet: Playing by Heart
• Ergonomic Violas: A Look at the Rivinus 'Pellegrina'