If you play the violin and are curious about the viola, with its deeper voice and its own place in the orchestra, you do not start over. Moving from violin to viola is a natural step once a student knows the violin, and students can switch in either direction because the two instruments share so much technique. Here is what stays the same, and what changes.

What stays the same

The viola looks much like a violin, and you hold it the same way: on the shoulder, under the chin.

Much of the technique carries over too. In a university study of six violinists who took up the viola, the players found the two techniques closely alike, and some described violin technique as the base that viola technique is built on. The bow hold stays much the same, though the fingers of the bow hand do more work on the viola.

For Suzuki students, the music carries over as well. The Suzuki Viola School has nine volumes, and its music was adapted from the violin books and written a fifth lower. Viola Book 1 has the same pieces as Violin Book 1, in the same order, from the Twinkle variations to Gossec's Gavotte, and the first three books are nearly the same for both instruments. A student who switches already knows the tunes. Our article What is the Suzuki Method? explains how the books and recordings work.

What changes

A bigger instrument, with no standard size

A full-size violin has a standard body length of about 14 inches. Violas have no standard size. Their bodies run from under 15 inches to over 18, so each violist looks for a size that suits their own body. A good fit helps: a student who plays an instrument that is too large tends to develop habits and postures that are hard to undo. Our article on choosing the right violin size explains how fit works for young players.

The longer fingerboard also puts more space between the fingers, and playing scales helps the hand learn the new spacing. Some violinists expect the viola to be bigger than it is and tense their shoulders and wrists, which can cause discomfort. If anything hurts, stop and tell your teacher, and see a qualified professional if the pain does not go away.

A heavier bow and a darker sound

The viola bow is heavier than a violin bow. The viola's sound is darker and more mellow, and its thicker, longer strings resist the bow more. To draw a full tone, violists let the natural weight of the arm sink into the string and use a slower bow. Pressing down instead tends to make a thin sound.

This takes time. After switching, students can be shy about putting more weight into the lower strings, and a few months of practice on the open strings (the strings played with no fingers down) helps them get used to it. Players in the university study also found that learning to bow the viola improved their violin bowing.

The low C string

The viola's four strings are C, G, D, and A, each a fifth apart. The top three are the same notes as the violin's lowest three, so a violinist already knows them. The new one is the low C string, a fifth below G. The violin's high E string is gone.

A new clef

A clef is a sign on the staff (the five lines music is written on) that tells you which lines and spaces stand for which notes. Violin music uses the treble clef. Viola music uses the alto clef, which in the orchestra only one other instrument shares, the alto trombone. The alto clef is centered on the middle line of the staff and marks that line as middle C, which is why it is also called a C clef.

Reading a new clef takes practice. In the university study, ways of learning that taught the actual note names on the staff worked better than shortcuts that skip reading the notes. Our free Alto Clef class explains the clef step by step, Name That Note lets you practice reading it, and Where's that note? asks where each note is played on the viola.

A new part in the orchestra

In the orchestra, the violins usually carry the tune. The violas rarely do. They most often play the harmony, the inner voice that gives the music its depth, and they help keep a steady rhythm under the melody.

Because fewer people know about the viola, violists are in demand in school groups and beyond, and young violists are welcomed into youth and school orchestras.

Trying the viola

Switching does not have to mean giving up the violin. Many musicians play both instruments. If you are curious, talk with your teacher. Our viola lessons page explains how we teach the viola, and if you have questions, we are happy to talk.

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