Q&A for How to Play Viola

Absolutely! If you already can play the violin, then it won't be such a big deal to learn the viola. There are so many similarities between them that most of your knowledge and technique will apply to this instrument, too. The main difference is in the size—the viola is a bit bigger than the violin—and therefore your finger spacing needs to be adjusted. The range on the viola is also a bit lower. The lowest string on the viola is a C rather than a G. The transition is pretty smooth most of the time, but it may take a little getting used to with the larger size and lower pitch of the viola. A little retraining and you will be playing some beautiful melodies on the viola!

On a music staff, the very bottom line is the F on the C string, the line above that is the A on the G string, the third line is the C on the G string, the fourth line is the E on the D string, and the top line is the G on the D string. Remember that when your daughter is reading music, there should never be a treble clef on it; treble clef is for violins.

Yes. The G, D, and A string fingerlings on a viola are all the same as a violin. The C string (thickest), however, is different (because there is not C string on a violin). On the low 1 (index finger, between 1 and the nut) fingering spot is C sharp/D flat. 1 (index finger, between low 1 and low 2) is D natural. Low 2 (middle finger, between 1 and 2) is D sharp/E flat. 2 (middle finger, between low 2 and 3) is E natural. 3 (ring finger, between 2 and high 2/low 4) is F natural. High 3/Low 4 (ring finger or pinkie/little finger can be used, it's just preference, between 3 and 4) is F sharp/G flat. 4 (pinkie/little finger) is always the next open string (in this case): G natural.

You can put one finger down on the A string, or you can put 2 fingers down on G.

2 fingers on D string. Put your fingers close together to make a flat F, then spread them apart to do a F sharp.

You simply rest you chin on the chin rest. You may need a shoulder rest, if you have a taller neck.

Set a well-known violist as your role model. Observe their tone quality and their expression. That really motivated me, vying to be as good as the best.

To do vibrato, put the finger you will be using on the fingerboard. Then gently wiggle your arm so the finger moves just a little back and forth. Try to speed up the wiggling over time and do it on all fingers.

You can buy a mute piece online or from your local music and put it on your bridge area. It slightly mutes the sound.

You can either use sticker spots on the viola to help with the intonation, or practice more and be patient.

Use a soft, non-abrasive cloth to clean the strings. Clean the fingerboard, and clean the bridge of all rosin (the white powder used on bow). No cleaning fluid is to be put on the cloth.

The music has expression markings in it (dynamics) that tell you to play loud (f), soft (p), medium loud (mf), medium soft (mp), fast (allegro), slow (largo), smoothe (slurred), short (staccato), etc. Use these markings as emotional cues and adjust your style accordingly.

There is no open E on a viola. However, the simplest one is 1 finger on the D string.

It really depends on the orchestra, but in general, you're more likely to get a higher pay if you have a title chair like principal or principal second. (Even then, the concertmaster and assistant concertmaster will still be paid more and are among the highest-paid in the orchestra.) Otherwise, as a section player, you should be paid at about the same rate as the other section string players.

High third finger on the C string, or high second finger on the D string (in first position).

Practice and refine all your excerpts or solo pieces. Bring character and emotion to them. Practice scales to the audition requirement. Practice them in random orders, and pay attention to rhythm, intonation, and tone. Sight reading is hard to prepare for, but you can improve by reading lots of music.

That is fine! Bow hair will naturally break. Especially if you play a lot or vigorously, this is to be expected. You can avoid breaking hairs by storing your bow in its case and not playing unnecessarily hard. Over time though, the bow will need restringing, it's just a natural part of the bow's life.

Start by playing any regular note, and then sliding your fingers up (or down for flats) a small amount at a time. You really just need to know what the note you want to play sounds like, so use a tuner when you first start to try and learn how to play sharps and flats!

It's the second finger (for C natural your second finger should come as close to your first finger as possible, and for C sharp leave a finger space of room between the first finger and the second finger.)

Go in between the first finger and the start of the finger board, where the scroll is. Flat notes are a half step lower than a regular note, For example if the key signature shows two flats, you follow the line or space where the flat is, and that's the note you need to play the flat version of! That's a trick I picked up on over 6 years of playing the cello, and two years of being in choir. I recommend watching twoset violin on youtube for fun! And most importantly, practice!

If you sound scratchy when playing with the bow, it may be that you are pressing down on the string too hard with your bow, and putting too much pressure on the strings. Let your bow glide over the strings. You can check your bow hold too and see if you have any problems.

The viola has four strings, from highest to lowest: A, D, G, and C. These letters (ABCDEFG) all represent a pitch in music. By pressing your fingers on the different strings, and moving your bow across the strings, you create a sound and pitch.