Wednesday 29 October 2014

The Viola


Hello Everyone, It's Evie here, 
You may have seen me on Jess's blog also. Today I will be writing about the instrument I play. The Viola! 

I personally think that the Viola is a very underrated instrument that deserves some love. So I am writing this post to hopefully raise awareness about this lovely instrument.





I have been playing the viola for 11 years and I think it has the most beautiful tonal quality... it has the ability to have the melody (but that is rare) but often provides the lower register notes to provide the much needed sound.

love this pic



Those are the four strings that are on a viola... so basically the most common question I am asked is "What exactly is a viola?"


Viola problems...... It's okay you guys, the other orch-dorks will always understand :))
To answer your question, as much as I hate saying it. The viola is like a big violin.. what I mean by a big violin is that it is played like a violin but has the same strings of a cello. It is also larger in size.. and is often much more heavy.

See the size difference... violin on left and viola on right..



That is a viola! see what I mean when I say it is bigger...


One of the downsides to being a viola player is the number of viola jokes that we recive. It seams that there are more viola jokes than any other instrument. This is a shame because without violas the worlds would be a sad place.. you really need some violas in your life!



Next point, no offense to any Violin players out there but I have been the victim of having 3rd Violins playing with me.. for me I really don't enjoy my part written out so that other instruments can play it. Sadly at many schools I have visited it has been the case as people do not know what a Viola is or they only have the option to play the violin.. nothing against violins!







Violas are an awesome instrument when it comes to auditions.. since there are not many of us out there, it really is a good platform for getting into ensembles and groups.

Wedding Trends: Bouquet Alternatives. We've done several weddings with paper flowers {including my own}...looks so lovely in photos.


















There are some lovely viola concertos out there... you just need to look!
Classical Music

But one of my biggest problems is finding sheet music for the viola. I mean seriously... there is so much free sheet music for violins out there and you search some for violas and it's a much more condensed version...



Nooooooooooo!






And then there is the matter of the violists getting the tune... This GIF describes our pain..


Hope you enjoyed! and thanks SO much for having me Lu m'dear friend :D 

Evie

PS Please leave your comments below!

3 comments:

  1. Don't even start with me on sheet music for violas okay? Aggravates the heck out of me. xD
    Lovely post though, I agree with every single thing. It's certainly NOT the same people. Sometimes I swear, they look at me like I've made the instrument up. :P
    ~Adi

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    Replies
    1. I know your pain!! XD
      Thank you so much! You too?! People are like "don't you mean a big violin" me *stay calm stay-stuff it* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
      Them "um sorry?"

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    2. Haha, exactly!!! I always get so aggravated by it, especially by the people who are actually IN Orchestra. Like seriously, know the different instruments that accompany you people. xD
      ~Adi

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