The Viola, along with the rest of the String family, (violins, cellos and basses) is an integral part of the Symphony Orchestra. It has four strings producing tones a fifth lower than the corresponding strings on the violin and is slightly larger. The instrument is commonly associated with classical music, and is found in orchestras and string quartets. The viola is particularly child-friendly in that it comes in a variety of sizes. As a student grows, the instrument can be traded for larger sizes It’s critical that a student has the proper size instrument. A viola that is too large in proportion to the size of the student can create a very uncomfortable situation. In extreme situations, this can lead to tendonitis leaving students discouraged and turned off to the instrument. A viola with a body length of 15-inches or greater is considered to be “full size”.
Show me the Sizing Chart for Violas

There are 3 categories of Violins:

	These violas are designed for beginning students and are often produced by machine. These instruments are excellent for the early stages of development and are priced to easily fit into most budgets.
	Recommended Student Violas

	These instruments represent better quality wood and workmanship, most (if not all) of which is done by hand. The result is an instrument that sounds better and will accommodate a player to more advanced levels of play. Pegs and fingerboard are usually made of Ebony. Extensive hand graduation of the top and back of the viola results in a more refined sound. If the wood is good and the maker has paid attention to the necessary details, some intermediate violas may even approach the professional level of performance.
	Recommended Intermediate Violas

	These are violas made from only the finest woods and built with a near fanatical devotion to every detail of construction and appearance. Because of the relatively low number of craftsman skilled at this level, the number of hours required to produce an instrument of this caliber and the cost of select, premium wood, the price of these instruments is considerably higher.
	Recommended Professional Violas

Other Necessary and Helpful Items

Strings and rosin are a just a few of the items that are need ed to play, and a shoulder rest makes playing much easier. There are also accessories to properly clean and maintain your violin in good working order.

Recommended Viola Accessories
Tell me about Bows

There are 2 basic areas of the viola:

• Body – The “box” part of the instrument. The top is generally made of a thinly and precisely shaved piece of spruce, the back and sides (ribs) are generally made of maple. The top and back may be made of a single piece of wood or a bookmatched piece.

• Neck Assembly – The structure that attaches to the top end of the viola body. It is generally made of maple. The top-end is called the “peg box” where the strings attach to the tuning pegs. Applied to the top of the neck are the fingerboard (where the left-hand fingers press down to alter the pitch of the strings) and the nut (a small piece of wood that supports and separates the strings just as they pass into the “peg box’).

• Bridge - a specially shaped and fitted piece of hard maple that sits between the strings and body of the instrument and transmits the majority of the string vibrations to the body.

• Soundpost – a small cylindrical piece of wood that is fitted and wedged inside the instrument between the back and the face. Its placement has a great effect of the sound.

• F-Hole – Two holes precisely cut in the top of a stringed instrument to permit the sound to be projected from the interior.

• Button – a small round piece of wood fitted by pressure into a hole in the bottom ribs of a stringed instrument. It serves as the anchoring point for the string adjuster (tailgut), which is attached to the tailpiece.

• Tailpiece – a long, tapered piece of material suspended above the top of the instrument by the ends of the strings at the bridge end, and the “tailgut” at the “button” end.

• Tailgut – the long strand of material that attaches through two holes in the bottom end of the tailpiece and then passes over the bottom edge of the instrument, looping around the button as its other anchoring point.

• String Adjuster (optional) – a small mechanical device attached to the tailpiece of a stringed instrument to make fine adjustments in string tension.

The single most influential factor (after playing skill) of sound quality produced by a stringed instrument is the choice of strings. There is no “correct” type of string for all players under all circumstances. Each type of string has its own qualities that make it more appropriate for different situations (i.e. solo vs. orchestral performance; country vs. classical performance). Other factors such as cost, the player’s individual preferences and the way a particular string sounds on an individual instrument also come into play. More info on selecting strings

Our site has a complete and varied selection of violas, in all sizes and playing levels, all backed by our 45/45/100 Guarantee. If you’ve got more questions, call and speak with one of our Product Specialists to help you find the viola that’s perfect for you.