The Hows and Whys of Choosing a Viola by Eric Chapman

A Few Listening Considerations

What kind of strings are on the instrument? If you are not acquainted with the type of string on the viola, ask about its
properties. If you like the viola but want, for example, more brightness on the A, try a thicker gauge string.
When was it last played, and by what sort of player? A Strad that has been unplayed for years or only played from
time to time by an indifferent amateur may take months to regain its full properties.

How does the instrument sound in an acoustically dead space? Take into account the acoustics of the room you are in.
From a dead practice room to a lively concert hall, the environment has an impact on how you perceive the sound of
the instrument. Try violas in an acoustically dampened space so that you hear them on their own merits and more
easily separate one from another. Anything that sounds good in a dead space will sound splendid anywhere else.

Five sound Considerations

1. Concentrate on sound quality.

How? Leave your music at home.

Why? You are trying to assess sound and listen carefully to every note. If you are concentrating on the music,
your attention is not where it needs to be: learning to discriminate between instruments.

2. Listen for vibrancy of the box.

How? Place any two or three violas on a table and play the open strings, each in turn. Draw the bow with
equal, even pressure and speed. Let the string ring so you can assess the amount of reverberation.

Why? You are listening for two important things: the vibrancy of the box and the fundamental sound of the
instrument. Truly fine instruments will ring and ring. If the instrument doesn't ring, move on. With a lively
acoustical box, you will not need to work so hard to make music.

An acoustically vibrant viola is not a guarantee that you will like the timbre or type of sound, but without the
lively sound, the instrument will be a dud from beginning to end. However, if it's a brand new instrument, the
varnish may not yet be totally dry. Wet varnish has the potential to artificially dampen the sound of an
otherwise lively box. Find out exactly when a new instrument was completed. Next, analyze the fundamental
sound quality. Is the sound clean at the core? Is there any pithiness or fuzz when notes are played in tune? If
the core sound is not clean, the instrument will not project beautiful music.

3. Make sure the sound starts the instant the bow touches the string.
How? Stroke the string with the bow over and over.

Why? You want to ascertain if the sound starts the instant the bow touches the string. If the initial response is
slow, any rapid articulation will come out sounding like mush. You also need to figure out, with each
instrument, how to adjust your bow speed so the viola plays to its best advantage. Often, you will need to use
more bow speed with a new instrument than an older one.

4. Is the sound color quality multi-dimensional?

How? Play some different sorts of passagesdark and minor, rapid and light, soft and floating.

Why? You want to determine the flexibility of the sound. Is the color quality of the sound multi-dimensional,
or is there a sameness to the sound no matter what you do? Can you get into the core of the sound of the
instrument, or does the sound stay on the surface? Flexibility in the sound determines the instrument's ability
to produce colors and nuances without which music becomes merely notes. A great player, it is true, can
produce coloration on anything, even a cigar box, but the player is doing all the work and getting no help
from the instrument.
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 Is the sound very dark, or nasal? If a viola sounds too dark, it will, in nearly all cases, have a projection
problem. What starts out dark beneath your ear will be heard as darker yet by the audience. Dark sound
becomes perilous for the viola, which has to cut through the penetrating sound of the violin, as well as the
large sound of the cello. If you are playing in an orchestra, you may be competing with the brass section and
losing your own sound under your ear if the timbre is too dark.

Violas that are nasal often appear to inexperienced players as warm sounding. A nasal sound, however, is
usually a bit fuzzy at the core, and when a core sound is not clean, your ability to manipulate and shape the
tone is compromised.

5. Is the sound consistent the entire length of each string?

How? Play scalesat least one octaveup and down on each string. Play slowly and evenly, with no vibrato.

Why? You need to assess whether the instrument's sound is consistent the entire length of each string, or if
its power and clarity fade away as you ascend the scale. Without this evenness, the instrument, and not you,
will dictate how and where you can play, therefore reducing you fingering options, causing technical
difficulties.

Body Size and String Length

Given that proportionately fewer violas were made between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries, the instrument
did not evolve into a standard size like the violin. You must take into account both body size and string length. A viola
whose body length is less than 16 inches is generally considered to be on the small side. Anything greater than 16.5
inches is thought to be large. The 16 to 16.5 inch range is considered average and is favored by most players.

There is no point in trying to play a viola that is too large. Many violists have suffered career-threatening injuries or a
range of tendonitis problems that result from over stretching the arm, elbow, or hand. Whether you play six hours a
day or only one, the cumulative effect of a viola that is too large is the same. No matter how much you love the sound,
the price is too high if the result is injury.

Sound and body size do not necessarily correlatea bigger viola does not guarantee a bigger sound. Good, smaller
instruments often have a more centered or better-focused sound that may translate into a bigger sound to the
listener. Consider also that the larger the concert hall, the more an instrument's size is neutralized; projection will
depend on the inherent quality of the instrument.

String length is defined as the main vibration portion of the string, running from the edge of the nut to the edge of the
bridge. A 16-inch viola may have a longer string length than a 16.5 inch viola.

To test whether an instrument has an appropriate string length for you, allow your fingers to fall on the first position
octave on the C and G strings. If the natural pull of gravity lands your fingers to play D on the G string flat, evaluate the
amount of stretch required to play the D perfectly in pitch. If you find that the reach to the in-tune D involves an
uncomfortable stretch, the string length may be a potential problem. Having to constantly stretch can weary your
hand quickly, in addition to being an unwelcome distraction when concentrating on music.

If you can find the direct measurements of the instruments that appeal to you, you can see at a glance how they
compare to one another. The experience of working with players and makers has taught me that the mensur, or the
distance from the upper edge of the top of the body at the neck to the center of the bridge foot, should not exceed
223 mm in order to be comfortable for most players. If the maker or restorer has utilized the generally accepted
proportions, the neck lengththe distance from the edge of the nut to the top edge of the instrumentwill then be
147 to 148 mm.

Sometimes, proportions can vary: you can have a shorter neck and longer mensur, or vice versa, and still equal the
standard string length. As you might expect, pitfalls can occur with a neck that is too short or too long. In the first case,
third position is arrived at by colliding with the viola's upper shoulder, while in the other without the hand finding the
shoulder at all!
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