Hello musicians of Reddit!

Short version:  Is there anything about this design that screams 'This artist doesn't know anything about viola'? 

Long version: I am hoping to get some feedback on an illustration I am working on that features a viola.  I am not particularly musical and do not play any instruments, so getting feedback from persons such as yourself is very valuable to me. 

I am an artist/designer.  I primarily create art that is used to create hard enamel pins.  I am working on a series that I am playfully calling A Symphony of Cats.  The intention is to create a pin design for every instrument in a traditional orchestra.

The pin itself will only be 1.5 inches tall, so I am limited in the level of detail that I can include, having said that I do always strive for meaningful accuracy. 

Thank you for your time!

Hi violists :D

I fell in love with Glazunov's Elegy Op.44 mid this year and have been playing it a lot since then.

I'm learning via the AMEB curriculum at Grade 6 and this piece is listed as Grade 6, but I can't help but feel like I'm missing something like depth or nuance beside the note slip ups.

(Don't mind the harmonic fails or the final section's mess up I'm trying different fingerings for it👌😭)

Anyhow, aside from the intonation which should improve with time and me miscounting and playing some notes out of time, what could I do better? Are there any other outstanding problems that should be addressed?

Thank you very much for your time :)

It says RODERICH Paesold anno 1978 model no 703. It’s 15 1/2 inches which is what I’m looking for.
It comes with the original paesold bow and hard case. It’s £200.
I’m looking for a nice upgrade from my stentor 2, I want a warmer tone, that sounds richer and less boxy.
It will probably need new strings. I will test it out in person on Saturday.
Would this viola be a good upgrade?
To the mods: Please note I’m not looking for appraisals, just if this is a good upgrade :)

Edit: Help I meant Vermont Violins don’t flame me

Hello! I'd like to share a recent piece of mine for viola and piano that was just premiered in New York.

Score

Recording

If you are interested in performing, please message me, and I will be happy to share a copy of the score and part!

I wanted to share my latest arrangement of "Boys Don’t Cry" by The Cure for String Quartet. I really wanted to capture the upbeat, driving energy of the original post-punk rhythm section while giving the violins and cello space to articulate the classic guitar hooks and vocal melodies.

I wanted to share my latest arrangement of "Boys Don’t Cry" by The Cure for String Quartet. I really wanted to capture the upbeat, driving energy of the original post-punk rhythm section while giving the violins and cello space to articulate the classic guitar hooks and vocal melodies.

Seems good on paper for a beginner, but. Anyone have experience with this manufacturer?

I had posted a little while ago with this same excerpt, and while it is off the string now, i’m still rushing a bit. This is one of the audition pieces for districts in my state, and only have it at 63, while the tempo we are supposed to be playing it at is 90. The audition is on November 21st, but i’m not sure how much improvement i can make in that time. Any tips to help speed it up or other areas would be much appreciated!

This is in alto clef. I am writing for solo viola. I am worried about the performer having to play the fifth at such a high position.

Hey, the cheap Howard core solid foam Viola case I have had my viola in for about 3-4 years that was too big for my instrument has finally gotten to the point that it needs replaced, I have no other option.

My budget is around 300 USD I have a 16 inch strad model viola, with a flesch Hump chinrest and I use a Bon Musica shoulder rest.

Im a big fan of hard shell cases but with my budget constraints I am just looking for something that will protect my instrument and can fit my shoulder rest and chinrest and isn't made out of solid foam and the backpack strap won't break off when i'm riding my bike to my local church to teach lessons.

If I could find one I would spend the money and get a matching Lion case like I have for my violin but it seems Shar has stopped carrying the viola variant.

Right now Im looking at the following

Im tempted to get a super cheap Bam copy like this and just keep saving up https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DKJ3BN7Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1J4K977MZFV3X&psc=1

Other cases

https://kennedyviolins.com/products/portland-viola-hardcase

https://kennedyviolins.com/products/portland-elite-adjustable-viola-case

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GQKCF1W2/ref=ewc_pr_img_4?smid=ADG5G3PJXVWIG&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GQH13YRV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?th=1

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GBPCVIOLA16--gator-presto-series-pro-viola-case

https://www.sharmusic.com/products/america-case-manhattan-viola-case

https://www.sharmusic.com/products/american-case-eagle-viola-case

I can also Probably swing a bobelock which would probably be my best bet.

Any advice or suggestions.

I’ve been playing for four years at this point, and have had private lessons for nearly 3. I’ve gotten pretty good and am currently in chamber at my school. My teacher said he likes how I’m developing expression in my playing and that we can now play violin/viola duets. I was so happy after my lesson on Thursday. State was today, and I was playing around other contestants pretty confidently. But when I entered that room, my knees started shaking. The etude I had spent probably over 20 hours practicing sounded terrible. It impressed me though that I continued after my slip up mid-etude. This is the second or third year the judges have had to tell me to calm down. Scales and sightreading were pretty good, but I don’t know if the etude cost me the necessary points. I very frequently have shaky knees, and it has always been messing up my performances. It makes me so incredibly sad that all those hours have gone to waste. I’ve wanted to see a doctor about it, but my parents keep holding it off, alledging they don’t want me to go on chemicals. I love playing and it pisses me off that whenever I perform, I sound only a quarter as good as I could be. If I’m correct, the beta blockers would have to be taken before performances? If so, that’s not that big of a deal, I average about three performances a year. I just want to fix this problem, but I want to explain it as concisely and convincingly as possible to my family. Does anyone have any input on how to go about this?

State is tomorrow, I’m feeling alright about it, I feel definitely more prepared than last year. I think this is the first time in my life that I can play something with looking at the sheet music. I hope that I don’t get the anxiety shakes like last time, but I’ll try my best. I’m not the best sight reader, but I want to bag as much points as possible. As my teacher frequently says, never stop when sightreading. But besides that what do judges value? Is intonation accuracy more important or rhythm? What else?

The composition is scored for 3 violins and continuo, but obviously the Canon is well above the viola's range. Thankfully the Gigue 3rd violin part perfectly fits the viola.
This piece is criminally underrated, and I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to play it here for an appreciative audience.

For a complete, professional, and historically informed performance of Canon and Gigue in D, please listen here: The Academy of Ancient Music.
I can now barely stand listening to any modern performance of the Canon in D, after hearing this as it was meant to be played.

Hi! Im a violist of 1.5 years in my middle school, and my all region auditions are this Saturday. Ive been practicing my excerpts for a good 2 months, and im at a good level for them. The only thing im worried about is my nervousness. This is my first in-person audition, and I’m a person who gets nervous very easily, even to the point where i almost can’t breathe. I’ve been playing for many people, like my friends, family members, orchestra directors, etc, but the thought of the actual audition is still so overwhelming. Any tips or advice for this would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello I've been playing viola for 3 years and my class needs some song ideas for our winter concert December 3rd. The songs we are playing so far are Christmas Symphony and Polar Vortex. If you can, listen to them and you might have an idea of the songs we want to play. Our class usually play level 2-3 music

Long shot, I know. It's a piece I worked on 30 years ago in college. 12/8 or 6/8, fast tempo, and it starts with a series of low 8th-note arpeggios played staccato. Is this a commonly known viola piece? Or did my teacher back then hand me something obscure for me to never find again? TIA!

Im a Teacher and I have been noticing a trend with my students when they customize their shoulder rest and chin rest setup.

After they have played for 1.5-2 years (unless they express discomfort in the neck or back when playing) I allow them to try out different chinrests/shoulder rests from my collection and trial them to see if something is more comfortable.

I have noticed that Students with taller necks tend to prefer taller center mount chin rests paired with a Low to medium hight shoulder rests, while students with short necks tent to perfer short side mount chin rests with the shoulder rest set taller than the students with taller necks.

Have you noticed similar trends among your Students? I might try and put together a unofficial study because im genuinely curious.

This post is a feasibility test of a method for trimming the ends of soundposts, based on claims made by some users on Reddit.
The method seemed interesting, but the result didn’t live up to my expectations.
Result: An unstable soundpost and poor sound quality.
Don’t waste your time trying this method.

Are you familiar with this technique?

This highly subtle luthier’s technique involves rubbing and pressing the end of the soundpost firmly against a hard, perfectly smooth surface (usually a piece of polished metal, a tool made of very hard steel, or a smooth bone), without using any abrasive or other substance.
The burnishing of the soundpost serves several specific purposes:

1. To flatten the fibers to prevent the soundpost from sinking
2. Spruce is a soft wood whose fibers (the longitudinal channels) end at the tips of the soundpost. Under the strong pressure of the violin’s strings, these open channels tend to slowly flatten over time.
3. By vigorously rubbing the cut end against a hard metal surface before installation, the luthier performs a controlled pre-flattening.
4. This compacts and hardens the wood’s surface (the pores close), preventing the soundpost from “sinking” and shortening after it is put under tension.
5. To polish the wood to maximize microscopic contact
6. Although the soundpost is carved with a razor-sharp luthier’s knife, micro-roughness invisible to the naked eye always remains. Mechanical friction polishing smooths the cut: the wood becomes almost glossy and vitrified. This mirror-like polish optimizes friction and the transmission of high-frequency sound waves between the soundpost and the top.
7. Protecting the violin’s internal wood
8. A soundpost with a rough or unpolished tip can, during repeated adjustments and movements with the soundpost pointer, scratch or tear fibers from the inside of the soundboard. A perfectly smooth, burnished surface will glide more cleanly over the internal spruce without damaging the instrument during tone adjustments.
9. Rubbing the tip against a hard surface naturally creates a very slight dome at the ends of the soundpost.
10. This micro-geometry is crucial for several technical and acoustic reasons:
11. The Quest for Perfect Central Contact
12. If the tip of the soundpost were perfectly flat to the micron, the slightest movement of the instrument or change in tension would shift the pressure point to one of the soundpost’s outer edges.
13. This phenomenon of “edge contact” concentrates all the force on a sharp edge, which can mark or split the violin’s inner wood.
14. The slight curvature achieved through burnishing ensures that the point of maximum pressure always remains centered in the middle of the soundpost cylinder, where the wood is strongest.
15. Improved Transmission of Sound Waves
16. In violin making, the soundpost acts as a pivot and a transmitter of energy. Centralized contact eliminates unwanted vibrations or energy loss that occur when the edges of the soundpost do not fit perfectly flush. The transmission of vibrations from the top to the back is more direct, purer, and more focused, which improves the instrument’s projection and response.
17. Flexibility during tone adjustments
18. When the luthier slightly moves the soundpost by a few tenths of a millimeter to adjust the violin’s timbre (soundpost adjustment), this slight dome allows the soundpost to adapt to the minute variations in the arch without losing its primary contact surface. It “rolls” very subtly over the arch rather than biting into the wood.

At some point early next year, I’m entering in a competition… and I have no idea what to play.

I’m intermediate/upper intermediate and the judges are honestly not too harsh from what I’ve seen. I’m looking for something technically challenging that gives me a chance to show off my musicality. The hardest pieces I’ve played have been Bach’s Brandenburg No. 3 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, but I’m open to something harder.

Im specifically looking for a viola solo piece (preferably classical) and maybe a duet.

I honestly just want to get out there and try something new and learn some new music. Open to anything.