People usually agree to say that the instrument that’s the most difficult to play is the violin, but everything that’s hard on the violin is even harder on the viola thus to me viola seems harder (I’m a beginner violinist). Plus with all the viola jokes you guys have to be mentally strong to keep playing it so viola is harder for sure. I love viola’s sound it’s so low and warm and I wish you guys had a repertoire as wide as the violin, it’s so sad that people don’t recognise how beautiful your instrument is, violists keep playing, you guys are the best
Es decir que un instrumento sea difícil, yo no creo que vaya por ese aspecto social de... hay que tener dedicación, es difícil conseguir cuerdas, las clases son caras, la posición es incómoda ni nada de eso. O sea al menos en mi ciudad creo que tiene más mérito tocar por ejemplo fagot en lugar de violín, ya que este cuenta lo mismo de como 8 o 12 violines, son muy escasos los fagotistas como tal y los profesores también, son menos cotizados en bandas u orquestas y su repertorio es muy desconocido y escaso. Pero eso no me llevaría a decir jamás que tocar violín es más fácil que el fagot :/ O sea ser violinista es más fácil que ser fagotista por eso es otra historia, que no inside casi en nada a la dificultad en sí del violín.
Same I am a beginner too only been playing less than a week but can play Ode To Joy but still need more practise, wanted to learn second instrument (I play Ukulele) honestly playing violin is making me appreciate my Ukuleles more lol, need 40 hours
I'm glad somebody understands it. Just because the repertoire is harder doesn't mean the actual instrument is harder if the same thing is even harder on the other instrument
@@deadmanswife3625 Sadly, my viola experience was decades ago. I'm not really sorry, because my family moved to an area where there were no string programs in the schools, only band. (No string teachers within 100 miles, either.) It turned out to be a good thing I played clarinet. I still do, and I also play saxophone. I met my husband through music (he is a professional clarinetist/saxophonist). I don't think I would be a musician at all if I hadn't switched all those years ago, and I certainly wouldn't have made the friends I have. But none of that means I still can't admire and enjoy listening to viola. 😍
@@elissahunt man how have you learn saxophone? Did you have a lot of trouble in the beginning not making those High squeaking noises? Reason I ask is because I tried it a couple times and I wasn't sure if I could continue
@@deadmanswife3625 I had already been playing clarinet for a number of years when I picked up saxophone. They are both single-reed instruments and aren't all that hard to switch between. It's a little like switching from violin to viola. Saxophone fingering is simpler than clarinet, too. So, even though the embouchure is slightly different, I didn't have any squeaking problems. At a guess, I'd say you might be clamping down too hard on the mouthpiece, or putting your teeth on the reed. Both of those things are guaranteed to produce squeaks.
@@elissahunt thank you so much. I just started 3 weeks ago. I'm trying to figure out the fingering I've got some of it but it really is a little bit confusing. Especially on the clarinet but it's the embouchure that slowing me down on the saxophone I have not even taken that out of the case only twice. Thank you again. Yes there were a lot less keys on the saxophone then on the clarinet but I thought I might be blowing too hard but I practically get dizzy the reeds are two-and-a-half do you have an opinion on that?
"I love playing the viola because I feel like it's my voice." That's such a beautiful way to think of it and makes so much sense! Especially after what he explained between 3:30 and 4:00.
I played violin because my grandfather did. I played for 8 years before I found a viola at my high school in a storage room. I fell in love with the deep, rich, warmth of the viola.
I do feel like viola is objectively harder as it’s bigger and more on the fingers. But violins have way harder repertoire than viola. For me, vibrato on the viola is a tiny bit easier because I have enough space where as in my violin I always hit the pegs when doin first finger vibrato. But overall in terms of playability I do think viola is objectively harder
@@ViolaKing You want to get good hold onto the violin but you also don’t want stiff vibrato so you have to release tension but then will probably make the instrument shake so it will always be a loose loose for us lmao
I know a guy that knows a guy that makes custom pegs for the highest string that are short and stubby. You can only tune it with a special wrench but it allows for an easier and freer vibrato.
@@simon9768 eso también se hace con la clavija más baja del cello, la cuerda c, para que no te moleste en el cuello. (En realidad solo lo he visto ahí en el cello, jamás he visto lo que dices tú en un violín).
Viola is easy to play if you started as a violin. I am saying it out of my 3rd year of MS Orchestra. So Violinists who think that Violas are underrated and forgotten, remember that they started the same way as you. Violas (AND BASSES) need respect. Thanks for making this video, even if I am commenting late.
Yes! Been playing viola 20+ years. Originally I was tricked into playing viola because I wanted to play cello. My teacher in elementary school convinced me that the viola has a deep and underated sound. That only the most special and talented people play viola. That wasn't the case 🤣 We just didn't have enough violas. But man am I glad that one decision decades ago gave me one of the most beautiful instruments. I agree that the viola is my voice. It can sing the hidden emotions a violin simply can't reach.
I’ve played viola for fifteen years but this video was still so informative. So much I didn’t know about my own instrument. I mean, like all those things my teacher kept getting mad at me for finally make sense 😅 Honestly though, finding your channel was the best thing to ever happen to me. Can’t wait to see all your content and learn more about such a beautiful instrument 🎻 See, I haven’t played in a long time and I desperately want to pick it up again because I miss it and I love it, but I don’t know where to start or what to practice. I’m eager to watch your videos to learn more about technique, appreciation, and more 💜
As I violist, I respectfully disagree on the vibrato aspect, that viola vibrato has to be significantly wider than violin vibrato. For me, as long as the vibrato impacts the sound and creates color, it works. The speed and width of vibrato can vary greatly, while still creating a beautiful tone. But yea nice video!
he said if you compare at the same "wave bending", to produce same bending sound as violin, viola need to be swing wider, it's make sense because viola string is longger than violin.
Since about the age of 8 I always dreamed of playing the viola. I remember talking to a lady after a concert during a school outing, and telling her how moved I felt by the instrument she was playing. I remember her telling me it was the viola. It literally brought me to tears. Many years later I'm still dreaming about it. I guess it's never too late to start. Thank you for showing us the differences between these 2 amazing instruments 👍🙏🏻😘
As a fresh convert to viola I really appreciate this video. On the surface I thought the only transition was learning to read a new clef, but the viola truly needs to be handled differently to work. I’m enjoying playing it so far :)
I have been wanting to play the viola since 5th grade and couldn't afford it so my family put me in chorus both are beautiful and I never looked at which is harder versus easier I like the sound of the c string and finally found a shop they only focus on string instruments in my area so I won't be getting my instrument soon as an adult beginner oh well you're never too old to learn something so excited to get my own viola in my hands soon!
I started as a viola and doubled on violin. Now doing professional stuff, my main instrument is still viola with my bass as my double. I wound up having to get a 16.5 viola and heavier bow because my bass proficiency skyrocketed. I find playing viola made it much easier to be a switch hitter for my orchestra kids. In terms or repertoire, violin by default is harder. But those same techniques are much more difficult on a viola because of range, spacing, and response from the instrument.
Your explanations were so incredibly technical, with a number of terms i didn't always recognize Though the way you covered them made me more curious, and I wasn't the least bit put off. 😁 It shows you're well trained and that I could learn a lot!
Love this video :) I'll add though that I think stature is also a factor as well. I play both violin and viola regularly and I'm pretty small in stature, which means viola is definitely a lot more awkward for me than, say, a 6"+ tall person with long arms and bigger hands. In fact, I've heard that some really large people with large hands and very long arms may find the viola a more natural fit for them than the violin and are able to stretch fairly large distances on the viola. On the other end of the spectrum, violinists with small hands, like myself, find tenths to be a fairly significant stretch. Also, I think utilizing arm weight properly is also very important for violinists as well, although I think you can get away with a bit more index finger weight/pressure dumping on violin than on viola. It's still pretty easy to sound scratchy on violin as well. Overall, I think viola is physically harder to play, but violinists do spend more time on highly acrobatic and virtuosic playing so the difficulty kinda evens out in the end.
At first I wanted to play the violin, I didn't even know the viola. One day a friend asked me if I was studying the violin and I didn't even have an instrument and wasn't even studying. She offered me a viola and I still study it since 2020. I usually say that I didn't choose the viola, it chose me and I love the lower sound. Like you, I also think it's my voice.
I thought this was great thank you, for making this great video, its just what i wanted to know, i really appreciate your information and you sharing your knowlege with me, i want to learn, but was not totally sure which instrument i should buy, and i didnt know alot about the differences between the two instruments, but after seeing this video i decided to learn the violin, i would like to play an acoustic electric violin. Thank you for your video. Laura, new subscriber in Liverpool, England
This video just gave me the strength to continue my journey with the violin!!!!! Im a beginner in the violin and always loved the sound but my school didnt offer strings and i played the flute and mastered it since i have a passion for orchestra. But the violin is so difficult from what i expected and dont even let me get started on vibrato, which I can’t do for the life me and i was ready to just call it quits and after seeing this it motivated me to try even harder because the violin just matches me and i love everything about it. So thank you. I subscribe to your channel😁❤️
So do you think that the expression on the viola is more personal than openly expressive as it happens with the violin? It should also be noted that perhaps because of its ease it facilitates expression better or perhaps because in the beginnings of classical music the violin was what stood out the most, hence the need for composers to express and please with the best of the best in their works, perhaps that has led the violin to a major role in medium terms, a great difference is not usually highlighted much in comparison to the sound and we choose between two sides, we always think of the violin or the cello as a differentiation between bass and treble styles, although I think that In the viola, a good talent and a great highlight could change what is from a personal work to being a more shared work, always depending on the assigned style, but I think that together all the strings together can star in a great or better composition.
I feel like the Viola is heavily underused. Like I know a bunch of bands with viola - every second medieval folk band, a lot of Irish folk bands and even a lot of metal bands with one leg in some folky or medieval sound use them. But I only know one metal band that used a viola until 2006, it's a German black/death metal (or rather dark metal) called Eisregen. And I absolutely adore the heavy, dark, melancholic sound of their earlier albums where they used it. Recommendation: "Vorboten" , "Angst wird Fleisch", "Schatten im Verstand" and "Glas" (all of them from the album Krebskollektion, the one with the black album cover with the gas mask on it). Really love that sound, should be more common for black metal and stuff like that.
Good question. As someone who plays both regularly who is a small person (although I'm by no means a pro), I do hold the viola at a different angle than the violin in order to manage the larger size more easily. Most violinists are taught to have their scroll pointing more to the side, but for violists, having the scroll point more in front makes the larger instrument feel more manageable. Also, viola players may have their scroll a bit lower because the viola weighs more. Otherwise, I'd say posture is the same. Do bear in mind though that violists due need to be more vigilant about posture as the larger and heavier instrument puts more stress on the body.
This was actually tested on a guitar by Mattias Krantz (the guy who made a literal hammer klavier). Turns out it doesn't work that way, unless you played it in a helium filled box ... but then you'd die pretty fast.
I would like to say that as a violinist who plays all of the orchestral strings (except for double-bass on the regular) I would like to argue that it isn't much harder. Maybe it's because my viola reacts slightly differently from yours or maybe I'm just used to it, but the adjustments to viola from violin weren't that hard. I play on a 16 inch viola and while it is different, I don't really feel the effects that much. I feel like the physical aspects of the viola don't count as much because even though the viola is physically harder than violin as it's heaveier and everything is bigger, it's also a game of perspective. Euclid violin for 12 years and I've played violin for 10, for us violas obviously going to be more of a challenge because we're not used to stretch in my fingers as much reverence to try harder to get notes to voice clearly but if you started playing viola as a young child - as in, you're a violist where viola was actually your starting instrument and not violin - this challenge isn't necessarily as hard for you because you're used to it. Maybe in the beginning, sure, but that's what every instrument. You also forgot to look on the flip side of this discussion; what about you is to have been plain view of the entire life and then switch to violin or tried to play violin before because they're interested? To them, maybe the violin being as small as it is might not be as easy to them as it seems. Obviously some are going to adjust to this really easily because the size is smaller, obviously, what's the oldest two haven't played violin before are going to have to get used to the instrument being so small. They're not used to having to place their fingers so close together and because violin is smaller, things happen faster - not much faster but enough for you to actually notice the difference. The bow is lighter, you need to add pressure ans weight sometimes, you have to do a lot more to control the squeaking on higher registers and while it's possible to adjust, it's not as easy as it sounds; kind of like how a violinist needs to adjust for viola. Now your adjusting time varies depending on your skill as a musician in the violin family. Technically in theory it should be easier for a viola player to adjust to violin because it's smaller, but this isn't always the case. I've been playing violin for 10 years and I already know a lot of the technique so me transitioning to viola is going to be way easier than a violist going to violin who's only been playing for maybe 2 years. Since violin and viola are technically the same instrument - both of them are played the same way, both of them even have a similar register, and the only difference between them are just by 1 string difference - for all intents and purposes, it's safe to say that the difficulty of the violin and viola are practically the same; the physical challenges are just up to perspective.
I played cello in high school and middle school but i had to give away my cello as an adult due to space. But i would love to take up a smaller instrument. Ive always had issues with the violin's high notes hurting my ears. So i am interested in learning viola but they are more expensive and harder to find :(
Have you ever put violin strings on a 15 " viola? I'm a tall adult man and a 4/4 violin feels difficult to play. I've had the violin for 17+ years so I'm not new to playing or anything. Just looking for a change.
I'm not a musician, to make it short, from my understanding Viola is the upper part of the guitar (bass strings) and Violin is the lower part of the guitar?
How do you know what distance to leave between fingers if you want a G, G#, A, etc? I am used to the guitar frets, and I am interested in learning the violin. Thanks ^^
I am a 10th year violinist and strings go by *Tones* and *Semitones* Tone = there is a bit of space between 2 fingers which depends on what position you are in on the fingerboard because if you go to for example to 5th position your fingers have to be closer together than if you were in 1st position. Semitone = your fingers are pretty much touching and just like tones the higher the position the more you have to put your fingers together (which can be hard to get a good intonation. For G, G# that would be a Semitone. For G#, A that would be a also be a Semitone. But let's say Bb, C that would be a tone. Now to know where to put your fingers is the more scales you practice the better you'll get at placing them at the right spot.
The Hutchins Upright Viola has a 20 inch body so it's big enough for those low notes to speak clearly but it's also big enough that you can play it like a Cello
One day in 8th grade, I tuned my violin down to the strings of a viola. It sounded the same as an actual viola, but I wasn’t a viola student, so I didn’t play it as a viola lol, it was just something I did while bored
I’m really having a difficult time deciding which one. I really love the deep rich sound of the viola better but I fear it will be harder for me to learn than the violin which would be easier on me.
Having a certain body type can give you an advantage on some instruments depending on the situation e.g a larger person would find viola a more natural fit than a small woman, but ultimately when it comes to choosing an instrument to play, choose the one you connect with the most in terms of sound and character.
I play fiddle, but also carry a 15 1/2 inch viola. A viola "fiddles" just fine, but the key changes ;) A viola is very useful in C or D so if the band goes to those chords, I switch to viola. In C you got 2 full octaves in first position! And in D the viola has the same note pattern as the fiddle in A. You can put runs in that you can't even think about on the fiddle. Drive the mandolin player and banjo player crazy, Kick off "Wheel Hoss" in C major instead of G LMAO!
Playing the double bass, or upright bass well can get you into a jazz band, or a bluegrass band. Viola? Orchestra or chamber orchestra. That might be it. It won’t hurt you to be proficient at both. Depends on your favorite genre.
honestly the size of a viola is a pain if u don't have ET fingers. if u have normal hands the violin is easier. but honestly who cares. what matters most is which instrument u connect with the most. I don't have alien like hands but I love the viola so much I don't care if I have to stretch. but yeah its a pain
i love the deeper, darker sound of viola. sonically it gets into that cello territory, where the sound resembles the sound of a human voice, which is probably why i find the sound so intriguing. btw is this an electric viola? definitely sounds deeper than a regular violin, but i'm not sure ruclips.net/video/GzjG95rB96Q/видео.html
@ViolaKing is there a link you could provide? Not being familiar with you means I'd have to go thru all your videos until I find it. Not really something I wish to do.
The biggest difference for me is the clef in which they play. The violin plays in the treble clef, and the viola plays in the alto clef. For me, as a violin player, I'll need to learn a whole new music language i.e. alto clef, and not just a new fingering chart. 🤨
This was super informative and interesting! 😀 So, in conclusion, violinists don't like the viola because they can't pull a decent sound and 10th in it 🤭
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People usually agree to say that the instrument that’s the most difficult to play is the violin, but everything that’s hard on the violin is even harder on the viola thus to me viola seems harder (I’m a beginner violinist). Plus with all the viola jokes you guys have to be mentally strong to keep playing it so viola is harder for sure. I love viola’s sound it’s so low and warm and I wish you guys had a repertoire as wide as the violin, it’s so sad that people don’t recognise how beautiful your instrument is, violists keep playing, you guys are the best
Es decir que un instrumento sea difícil, yo no creo que vaya por ese aspecto social de... hay que tener dedicación, es difícil conseguir cuerdas, las clases son caras, la posición es incómoda ni nada de eso. O sea al menos en mi ciudad creo que tiene más mérito tocar por ejemplo fagot en lugar de violín, ya que este cuenta lo mismo de como 8 o 12 violines, son muy escasos los fagotistas como tal y los profesores también, son menos cotizados en bandas u orquestas y su repertorio es muy desconocido y escaso. Pero eso no me llevaría a decir jamás que tocar violín es más fácil que el fagot :/
O sea ser violinista es más fácil que ser fagotista por eso es otra historia, que no inside casi en nada a la dificultad en sí del violín.
Same I’m a biginer I think the same as you
Same I am a beginner too only been playing less than a week but can play Ode To Joy but still need more practise, wanted to learn second instrument (I play Ukulele) honestly playing violin is making me appreciate my Ukuleles more lol, need 40 hours
I'm glad somebody understands it. Just because the repertoire is harder doesn't mean the actual instrument is harder if the same thing is even harder on the other instrument
I agree about how it's kinda mentally challenging to play cuz all of the jokes😂
My first instrument was viola, and I chose it because it sounded beautiful. (I had a horrible teacher though, and I ended up switching to clarinet.)
Both clarinet and Viola are very beautiful. I hope you are working on viola independently of your nasty old teacher
@@deadmanswife3625 Sadly, my viola experience was decades ago. I'm not really sorry, because my family moved to an area where there were no string programs in the schools, only band. (No string teachers within 100 miles, either.) It turned out to be a good thing I played clarinet. I still do, and I also play saxophone. I met my husband through music (he is a professional clarinetist/saxophonist). I don't think I would be a musician at all if I hadn't switched all those years ago, and I certainly wouldn't have made the friends I have. But none of that means I still can't admire and enjoy listening to viola. 😍
@@elissahunt man how have you learn saxophone? Did you have a lot of trouble in the beginning not making those High squeaking noises? Reason I ask is because I tried it a couple times and I wasn't sure if I could continue
@@deadmanswife3625 I had already been playing clarinet for a number of years when I picked up saxophone. They are both single-reed instruments and aren't all that hard to switch between. It's a little like switching from violin to viola. Saxophone fingering is simpler than clarinet, too. So, even though the embouchure is slightly different, I didn't have any squeaking problems. At a guess, I'd say you might be clamping down too hard on the mouthpiece, or putting your teeth on the reed. Both of those things are guaranteed to produce squeaks.
@@elissahunt thank you so much. I just started 3 weeks ago. I'm trying to figure out the fingering I've got some of it but it really is a little bit confusing. Especially on the clarinet but it's the embouchure that slowing me down on the saxophone I have not even taken that out of the case only twice. Thank you again.
Yes there were a lot less keys on the saxophone then on the clarinet but I thought I might be blowing too hard but I practically get dizzy the reeds are two-and-a-half do you have an opinion on that?
"I love playing the viola because I feel like it's my voice." That's such a beautiful way to think of it and makes so much sense! Especially after what he explained between 3:30 and 4:00.
I played violin because my grandfather did. I played for 8 years before I found a viola at my high school in a storage room. I fell in love with the deep, rich, warmth of the viola.
I do feel like viola is objectively harder as it’s bigger and more on the fingers. But violins have way harder repertoire than viola. For me, vibrato on the viola is a tiny bit easier because I have enough space where as in my violin I always hit the pegs when doin first finger vibrato. But overall in terms of playability I do think viola is objectively harder
I definitely relate with the vibrato issue. When I play violin, mine sometimes shakes the entire instrument
@@ViolaKing You want to get good hold onto the violin but you also don’t want stiff vibrato so you have to release tension but then will probably make the instrument shake so it will always be a loose loose for us lmao
I know a guy that knows a guy that makes custom pegs for the highest string that are short and stubby. You can only tune it with a special wrench but it allows for an easier and freer vibrato.
@@simon9768 eso también se hace con la clavija más baja del cello, la cuerda c, para que no te moleste en el cuello. (En realidad solo lo he visto ahí en el cello, jamás he visto lo que dices tú en un violín).
Viola is easy to play if you started as a violin. I am saying it out of my 3rd year of MS Orchestra. So Violinists who think that Violas are underrated and forgotten, remember that they started the same way as you. Violas (AND BASSES) need respect. Thanks for making this video, even if I am commenting late.
I LOVE your thought process. Choose the one you love the most, choose the one that express your voice the best. Wisdom for life.
Yes! Been playing viola 20+ years. Originally I was tricked into playing viola because I wanted to play cello. My teacher in elementary school convinced me that the viola has a deep and underated sound. That only the most special and talented people play viola.
That wasn't the case 🤣 We just didn't have enough violas. But man am I glad that one decision decades ago gave me one of the most beautiful instruments. I agree that the viola is my voice. It can sing the hidden emotions a violin simply can't reach.
I wanted to play the viola but could only choose cello
Lol, your teacher could have been a supervillain in another life 😅
Best violin and viola comparison video that I have seen to date!
I’ve played viola for fifteen years but this video was still so informative. So much I didn’t know about my own instrument. I mean, like all those things my teacher kept getting mad at me for finally make sense 😅 Honestly though, finding your channel was the best thing to ever happen to me. Can’t wait to see all your content and learn more about such a beautiful instrument 🎻
See, I haven’t played in a long time and I desperately want to pick it up again because I miss it and I love it, but I don’t know where to start or what to practice. I’m eager to watch your videos to learn more about technique, appreciation, and more 💜
As I violist, I respectfully disagree on the vibrato aspect, that viola vibrato has to be significantly wider than violin vibrato. For me, as long as the vibrato impacts the sound and creates color, it works. The speed and width of vibrato can vary greatly, while still creating a beautiful tone. But yea nice video!
he said if you compare at the same "wave bending", to produce same bending sound as violin, viola need to be swing wider, it's make sense because viola string is longger than violin.
Since about the age of 8 I always dreamed of playing the viola. I remember talking to a lady after a concert during a school outing, and telling her how moved I felt by the instrument she was playing. I remember her telling me it was the viola. It literally brought me to tears. Many years later I'm still dreaming about it. I guess it's never too late to start. Thank you for showing us the differences between these 2 amazing instruments 👍🙏🏻😘
As a fresh convert to viola I really appreciate this video. On the surface I thought the only transition was learning to read a new clef, but the viola truly needs to be handled differently to work. I’m enjoying playing it so far :)
Man…. This video just made me feel…. Happy. Thank you man
I'm a violist, and this made me happy😊 idk why, it just did
yes I am a second year violist
Lol me to
I have been wanting to play the viola since 5th grade and couldn't afford it so my family put me in chorus both are beautiful and I never looked at which is harder versus easier I like the sound of the c string and finally found a shop they only focus on string instruments in my area so I won't be getting my instrument soon as an adult beginner oh well you're never too old to learn something so excited to get my own viola in my hands soon!
Im 17 and i really wanted to learn violin in 4~ grade! Hope ur progress is going good
how is your progress? i started viola a month or so before this comment was made so im curious.
I get this question a lot from my store visitors. I guess I should refer to this video as it's interesting and useful.
I started as a viola and doubled on violin. Now doing professional stuff, my main instrument is still viola with my bass as my double. I wound up having to get a 16.5 viola and heavier bow because my bass proficiency skyrocketed. I find playing viola made it much easier to be a switch hitter for my orchestra kids. In terms or repertoire, violin by default is harder. But those same techniques are much more difficult on a viola because of range, spacing, and response from the instrument.
Your explanations were so incredibly technical, with a number of terms i didn't always recognize Though the way you covered them made me more curious, and I wasn't the least bit put off. 😁
It shows you're well trained and that I could learn a lot!
This was the exact video I was looking for, thank you very much for the explanation.
Love this video :)
I'll add though that I think stature is also a factor as well. I play both violin and viola regularly and I'm pretty small in stature, which means viola is definitely a lot more awkward for me than, say, a 6"+ tall person with long arms and bigger hands. In fact, I've heard that some really large people with large hands and very long arms may find the viola a more natural fit for them than the violin and are able to stretch fairly large distances on the viola. On the other end of the spectrum, violinists with small hands, like myself, find tenths to be a fairly significant stretch.
Also, I think utilizing arm weight properly is also very important for violinists as well, although I think you can get away with a bit more index finger weight/pressure dumping on violin than on viola. It's still pretty easy to sound scratchy on violin as well.
Overall, I think viola is physically harder to play, but violinists do spend more time on highly acrobatic and virtuosic playing so the difficulty kinda evens out in the end.
My teacher growing up taught violin and viola. She was pretty short, and she had a violin-length viola made for herself for exactly this reason.
At first I wanted to play the violin, I didn't even know the viola. One day a friend asked me if I was studying the violin and I didn't even have an instrument and wasn't even studying. She offered me a viola and I still study it since 2020. I usually say that I didn't choose the viola, it chose me and I love the lower sound. Like you, I also think it's my voice.
What an amazing amazing video. Thank you so much. You did a wonderful job. Take care!
03:38 Wow! I should definitely consider this. Thanks.
I thought this was great thank you, for making this great video, its just what i wanted to know,
i really appreciate your information and you sharing your knowlege with me, i want to learn, but was not totally sure which instrument i should buy, and i didnt know alot about the differences between the two instruments, but after seeing this video i decided to learn the violin, i would like to play an acoustic electric violin. Thank you for your video. Laura, new subscriber in Liverpool, England
This video just gave me the strength to continue my journey with the violin!!!!! Im a beginner in the violin and always loved the sound but my school didnt offer strings and i played the flute and mastered it since i have a passion for orchestra. But the violin is so difficult from what i expected and dont even let me get started on vibrato, which I can’t do for the life me and i was ready to just call it quits and after seeing this it motivated me to try even harder because the violin just matches me and i love everything about it. So thank you. I subscribe to your channel😁❤️
Thanks for you wonderful explanation of both instruments.
I watched till end, im not on much but ya got me i subscribed 😆 great video thank you u nailed it 💪🏽
cheers las thanks for the candid video. leaning towards viola myself
Good stuff, nice to learn from a caring teacher
Almost an expert
They are stellar and spectacular instruments. I want to hear more samples from them and other string instruments.
Currently taking violin lessons and find the fret board a little restrictive for my hands. Looking g into Violas to see if I could make the jump.
So viola is basically the bass to violin's guitar - deeper sound and not as flashy, but the band isn't complete without them.
Would hand size be a consideration in choosing? I have large hands but skinny fingers. Would this help/hurt either instrument?
So do you think that the expression on the viola is more personal than openly expressive as it happens with the violin? It should also be noted that perhaps because of its ease it facilitates expression better or perhaps because in the beginnings of classical music the violin was what stood out the most, hence the need for composers to express and please with the best of the best in their works, perhaps that has led the violin to a major role in medium terms, a great difference is not usually highlighted much in comparison to the sound and we choose between two sides, we always think of the violin or the cello as a differentiation between bass and treble styles, although I think that In the viola, a good talent and a great highlight could change what is from a personal work to being a more shared work, always depending on the assigned style, but I think that together all the strings together can star in a great or better composition.
So viola is a perfect mix of the violin and cello because it combines both.
One time i tried paganini caprice 24 3rd variation on viola but idk why i feel like it's easier to be in tune compared to when i play it on violin
I feel like the Viola is heavily underused. Like I know a bunch of bands with viola - every second medieval folk band, a lot of Irish folk bands and even a lot of metal bands with one leg in some folky or medieval sound use them. But I only know one metal band that used a viola until 2006, it's a German black/death metal (or rather dark metal) called Eisregen. And I absolutely adore the heavy, dark, melancholic sound of their earlier albums where they used it. Recommendation: "Vorboten" , "Angst wird Fleisch", "Schatten im Verstand" and "Glas" (all of them from the album Krebskollektion, the one with the black album cover with the gas mask on it). Really love that sound, should be more common for black metal and stuff like that.
Are there any differences in posture?
No
Good question. As someone who plays both regularly who is a small person (although I'm by no means a pro), I do hold the viola at a different angle than the violin in order to manage the larger size more easily. Most violinists are taught to have their scroll pointing more to the side, but for violists, having the scroll point more in front makes the larger instrument feel more manageable. Also, viola players may have their scroll a bit lower because the viola weighs more. Otherwise, I'd say posture is the same. Do bear in mind though that violists due need to be more vigilant about posture as the larger and heavier instrument puts more stress on the body.
no
I would put helium in my viola to make it feel lighter, but then it would sound like a violin....
I have never thought of that
This was actually tested on a guitar by Mattias Krantz (the guy who made a literal hammer klavier). Turns out it doesn't work that way, unless you played it in a helium filled box ... but then you'd die pretty fast.
how to turn a viola into a violin:
im about to start learning viola as a violinist. i am so excited but scared!!
I’m trying to choose viola or violin I’m choosing violin after seeing this video 🎻
Really good video
I would like to say that as a violinist who plays all of the orchestral strings (except for double-bass on the regular) I would like to argue that it isn't much harder. Maybe it's because my viola reacts slightly differently from yours or maybe I'm just used to it, but the adjustments to viola from violin weren't that hard. I play on a 16 inch viola and while it is different, I don't really feel the effects that much.
I feel like the physical aspects of the viola don't count as much because even though the viola is physically harder than violin as it's heaveier and everything is bigger, it's also a game of perspective.
Euclid violin for 12 years and I've played violin for 10, for us violas obviously going to be more of a challenge because we're not used to stretch in my fingers as much reverence to try harder to get notes to voice clearly but if you started playing viola as a young child - as in, you're a violist where viola was actually your starting instrument and not violin - this challenge isn't necessarily as hard for you because you're used to it. Maybe in the beginning, sure, but that's what every instrument.
You also forgot to look on the flip side of this discussion; what about you is to have been plain view of the entire life and then switch to violin or tried to play violin before because they're interested? To them, maybe the violin being as small as it is might not be as easy to them as it seems. Obviously some are going to adjust to this really easily because the size is smaller, obviously, what's the oldest two haven't played violin before are going to have to get used to the instrument being so small. They're not used to having to place their fingers so close together and because violin is smaller, things happen faster - not much faster but enough for you to actually notice the difference. The bow is lighter, you need to add pressure ans weight sometimes, you have to do a lot more to control the squeaking on higher registers and while it's possible to adjust, it's not as easy as it sounds; kind of like how a violinist needs to adjust for viola.
Now your adjusting time varies depending on your skill as a musician in the violin family. Technically in theory it should be easier for a viola player to adjust to violin because it's smaller, but this isn't always the case. I've been playing violin for 10 years and I already know a lot of the technique so me transitioning to viola is going to be way easier than a violist going to violin who's only been playing for maybe 2 years.
Since violin and viola are technically the same instrument - both of them are played the same way, both of them even have a similar register, and the only difference between them are just by 1 string difference - for all intents and purposes, it's safe to say that the difficulty of the violin and viola are practically the same; the physical challenges are just up to perspective.
I remember reading in a forum that playing the viola caused injury to Vengerov.
I played cello in high school and middle school but i had to give away my cello as an adult due to space. But i would love to take up a smaller instrument. Ive always had issues with the violin's high notes hurting my ears. So i am interested in learning viola but they are more expensive and harder to find :(
Very interesting video. Thank you.
Master musician
Violas are underrated. They have a wonderfully warm soothing sound.
Have you ever put violin strings on a 15 " viola? I'm a tall adult man and a 4/4 violin feels difficult to play. I've had the violin for 17+ years so I'm not new to playing or anything. Just looking for a change.
I'm not a musician, to make it short, from my understanding Viola is the upper part of the guitar (bass strings) and Violin is the lower part of the guitar?
How do you know what distance to leave between fingers if you want a G, G#, A, etc? I am used to the guitar frets, and I am interested in learning the violin. Thanks ^^
I am a 10th year violinist and strings go by *Tones* and *Semitones*
Tone = there is a bit of space between 2 fingers which depends on what position you are in on the fingerboard because if you go to for example to 5th position your fingers have to be closer together than if you were in 1st position.
Semitone = your fingers are pretty much touching and just like tones the higher the position the more you have to put your fingers together (which can be hard to get a good intonation.
For G, G# that would be a Semitone.
For G#, A that would be a also be a Semitone.
But let's say Bb, C that would be a tone.
Now to know where to put your fingers is the more scales you practice the better you'll get at placing them at the right spot.
The Hutchins Upright Viola has a 20 inch body so it's big enough for those low notes to speak clearly but it's also big enough that you can play it like a Cello
I like cleaner tones but not deep and thick sound so I recommend violin, I don't know why but when I play on the c open string on viola, I feel dizzy.
One day in 8th grade, I tuned my violin down to the strings of a viola. It sounded the same as an actual viola, but I wasn’t a viola student, so I didn’t play it as a viola lol, it was just something I did while bored
Good job ty ❤
i just found out i like more bass though i don t have a clue to what do with it? i Really don't wanna be a support with it...
Could you please add some links of that music you mentioned please.
I Still Play Both.
I’m really having a difficult time deciding which one. I really love the deep rich sound of the viola better but I fear it will be harder for me to learn than the violin which would be easier on me.
Also can your body make certain instruments easier or harder?
Having a certain body type can give you an advantage on some instruments depending on the situation e.g a larger person would find viola a more natural fit than a small woman, but ultimately when it comes to choosing an instrument to play, choose the one you connect with the most in terms of sound and character.
I play fiddle, but also carry a 15 1/2 inch viola. A viola "fiddles" just fine, but the key changes ;) A viola is very useful in C or D so if the band goes to those chords, I switch to viola. In C you got 2 full octaves in first position! And in D the viola has the same note pattern as the fiddle in A. You can put runs in that you can't even think about on the fiddle. Drive the mandolin player and banjo player crazy, Kick off "Wheel Hoss" in C major instead of G LMAO!
Well I always love viola
Love viola gang
Absolutely! ;)
What brand and models are those instruments?
I play both they are beautiful
I’m half way through my first year playing viola and I’m a sixth grader and I play the viola but I wish I played the dubble bass
Playing the double bass, or upright bass well can get you into a jazz band, or a bluegrass band. Viola? Orchestra or chamber orchestra. That might be it. It won’t hurt you to be proficient at both. Depends on your favorite genre.
honestly the size of a viola is a pain if u don't have ET fingers. if u have normal hands the violin is easier. but honestly who cares. what matters most is which instrument u connect with the most. I don't have alien like hands but I love the viola so much I don't care if I have to stretch. but yeah its a pain
when I first played last year I thought it was hard stretching to my fourth finger but now I can use my high e string
@@arcenionwugo9180 yeah it takes time but it can be done
Violin and bigger violin, similar but not the same 👍🏾👍🏾
i like both viola and violin but i dont have yet courage for trying viola because of my little fingers😢
I play the viola ( I have been playing for around 1 year) and I feel like it's is pretty easy when you know the basics
i love the deeper, darker sound of viola. sonically it gets into that cello territory, where the sound resembles the sound of a human voice, which is probably why i find the sound so intriguing.
btw is this an electric viola? definitely sounds deeper than a regular violin, but i'm not sure ruclips.net/video/GzjG95rB96Q/видео.html
So its kinda like guitar vs bass same but still different
To Viola Kingdom!!!!! Roooooaaaaaaa!!!
Very good, descriptive video.
Now, play the same 15 seconds of any song on both.
Lol
Thanks, I have a video called Violin vs. Viola playing the same pieces which may interest you (from around the same time as this video)
@ViolaKing is there a link you could provide? Not being familiar with you means I'd have to go thru all your videos until I find it. Not really something I wish to do.
@@zombywoof1015 ruclips.net/video/BFRiLk4DnNE/видео.html
So when it comes to smaller sizes, there's really no difference. a 1/4 violin could be a viola for a kid who's using a 1/8 violin? lol
Viola just sound so much nicer, thinking of learning it.
Size matters?
Those chords near the start killed me. I had to get out my own instrument to resolve them.
Viola is very beautiful
I play violin and viola, viola is definitely physically more difficult just because of size. It's worth the climb, though!!!
Okay, now I wanna listen to Vivaldi!
The biggest difference for me is the clef in which they play. The violin plays in the treble clef, and the viola plays in the alto clef. For me, as a violin player, I'll need to learn a whole new music language i.e. alto clef, and not just a new fingering chart. 🤨
Get dem juicy overtones near the bridge!
This was super informative and interesting! 😀
So, in conclusion, violinists don't like the viola because they can't pull a decent sound and 10th in it 🤭
I"m a viola player :D
In my opinion violin is harder than viola. Because treble clef for violin kinda don’t make sense
I started with viola in 7th grade and I don’t know how to play violin
I thought that viola takes much longer to burn than a violin!? 🙂
😐 I respectfully must say it made me ❤Love more my violin 🎻 just saying 😅 nobody ask for my opinion but like I said just saying 😂LOL
Viola's just better tho
I actually don't know which one to learn. I like both of them... HELP 😅
Which one sounds better? What do you want to do with it? How long are your fingers?
Double bass, bye.
dawg what is that shoulder rest
edit: viola is also harder than the violin btw look it up
According to Victor Borge, the difference between a violin and a viola is... that a viola burns longer.
I guess you also play the violin
Most significant difference - viola lasts longer in fireplace.😂😂😂
bad video
Rude he practiced so much for this brat
talks too much
First time to hear viola spund and for me it is bigger and better