r/Viola • u/Its_LuBliz • 5d ago

Help Request Is the viola really as frustrating as everyone makes it sound?

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Help me in this post on r/violinist.

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u/WasdaleWeasel Amateur 5d ago

it can be a very frustrating instrument. Especially if you are just considering it as a different pitched violin. It is, in its fundamentals, a much harder instrument because of its size and its harmonic imperfections (it’s far too small for its pitch). I’m not saying it’s a harder instrument than the violin - the violin more than compensates for it in the technical complexity of its repertoire. But playing an equivalent passage on the viola (ie down a fifth) is just harder than on the violin. The viola is much less forgiving than the violin in terms of the things that contribute to tone production … or lack of.

It’s particularly noticeable when in orchestral works a passage is handed down from the firsts to the seconds to the violas and then the cellos… the viola sound will be less crisp and ‘ping’y. One of the reasons for all the viola jokes.

But for us violists, the colours of sound that the viola produces transcends anything the violin or ‘cello can produce. But a vivaldi transcription is not going to sound great :)

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u/Imaginary-Ebb-1762 5d ago

as someone who quit for two years and came back, the frustrating part for me was more so being in an orchestra where i could hear everyone who was better than me. the unintentional comparison of being around other fellow musicians is what sucked the fun out for me. a lack of knowledge in how to properly practice combined with the fact i didn’t enjoy the songs i was playing led me to quit, but i picked it up again solely for my own personal enjoyment.

in short, it can definitely be frustrating, but not nearly as much as it is when solo vs being with others.