BUYING A VIOLA - What do you need to know?

[@manfioviolas]

What to look in a professional viola: a generous dynamic range, a powerful C string, quick response, clarity, and focused sound. no wolves.

[@rossthefiddler5890]

I've just stumbled onto you video & was delighted with your presentation & content you covered. I learnt violin (many decades ago) & in later years (decades) took up viola, because it was needed in one orchestra & then the next. Unfortunately, being used to playing in all positions on a violin was one thing, but it became a strain on a 16" viola. I was playing on a certain European brand (that I bought 'in the white' & varnished & setup) but it had a rather high rib & was essentially just an enlarged violin pattern. As I started playing more serious music on it I suffered from a ganglion in the left hand that eventually needed surgery to remove it, so considering that point, I would also encourage others to be careful about the size & shape of a viola they intend to buy so they don't suffer similarly. A couple of decades later (after a break from playing) my wholesaler had a brief clearance of a particular line of instruments & I thought I'd get one of the 16" violas. Yes, it was a student instrument from China (upper level of three grades). I already had one of that 'brand' (named by wholesaler) in one level down, a 15" viola that I modified to 5 string (with a top E string) & new they were nice for what they were, so after fully setting up the 16" viola (with Aubert Mirecourt bridge & P. Obligato strings etc) I was delighted with the resulting sound. It's rich & powerful & so I was tempted to get back into playing in an orchestra again (orchestras are always looking for violists), but being careful not to injure myself again.

[@Keemun_Tea]

I know it's late, but Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge released a swing album a couple of years ago. He has such a good voice for it! Very different from the rock/metal he's known for!

[@elitabaldridge6967]

Thank you for the video. I am renting an instrument now, but would like to buy my own viola I can grow into. Since you mentioned bows, I would like to know about how to find the right bow.

[@heatherhawken]

Absolutely! I can definitely do a video on that! I'll have a think and a plan and get on that 😊 x

[@victoriamhendrix94]

Go through a rent-to-own program so even if you're renting each payment you make toward the instrument one day it will be yours

[@AndyRoidEU]

Great point about not needing necessarily to go for bigger violas, even as a guy. I was tempted to buy 16.5" or something because "I should", but of course it is going to be heavier than a 16" or 15.5", right.

[@heatherhawken]

Absolutely

[@johannesbachlein149]

Hi! I'm just into the process to find a new viola for me, so your video was quite helpful! You already mentioned a lot of things, but there are some that still can be added, so I'll do here and maybe it helps others. First, the size of the viola is important, but it's not all. If the viola is too small, it may affect the sound, while if it's too big, you have to supinate your left hand extremely and get injured very easy. Also, the lever of the instrument is much higher which may easily affect your neck. For the sound, the withs of the bouts affects it more than the length of the viola body, so this is something also to consider. Second, at least as important as the viola size is the vibrating string length, which differs a lot. This affects directly the string tension. The longer the vibrating length, the stronger is the tension. If the length is short, the instrument can be played more comfortably with smaller hands but the strings may not have enough resistance for the more advanced player to produce a wide variety of different sounds. If it's too long, it is hard to play and affects the lifetime of strings and maybe also the instrument. Usually Viola strings are designed from the manufacturers for a vibrating string length of 370 mm, and if you have an instrument of this size, you get the maximum out of your strings and also have a good middle-way between playability and string resistance to play different colours. Third, in the past the viola had a completely different role than in current days (and gut strings were used...). So, copies of very old instruments may not work very well. Also, I found a lot of the cheaper makers who used ancient viola dimensions or just increased the shape of a well-known violin by a little. On the label you can read e.g. "form by Stradivarius". You can not expect very much from this. Modern makers re-invented the viola completely during the last decades by a lot of research, and developed a design that gives the maximum sound for modern strings and the modern role of this instrument. This is also a good news, because as the professional violinist has to look for a loan for insane-priced instruments to speed up the career, the violist beginner has a problem to find an affordable but well-sounding and easy to play instrument but the professional violist can get a very high-end instrument for 15.000,- from a not so well known maker, and even from the ones that have a high reputation, it's possible to own an instrument on your own. Forth, when buying a century-old instrument, some components like the base bar can have become weak. A replacement is at very high cost. Wood may have gotten thin at some places. There might be repairs that were not well-done and have to be re-done. Sometimes the relation between vibrating string lenght part of neck and body is not exactly 2:3, so if you have to swap to another instrument you may get into trouble. Neck angles can also have changed over time... it's important to have a very close look (with a ruler) before you buy. About what you said producing in China, that everybody builds only one part: this is what in Mittenwald, Vogtland and other places happened 150 years ago and was called "Manufaktur". As an instrument works as a whole, all parts have to be fitted in an acustic way to each other, which can not be done this way. The overall build quality was very poor, the violins were sold in batches of a dozen, taken from a big heap, and the re-seller (called "Verleger") picked the ones that were "by accident" good instruments and sold them for a high price, while the others from the same batch were sold for cheap. There was barely no luthier any more who knew about how to regulate and optimize the sound of an instrument, so in Mittenwald they made a cut (to prevent losing their reputation completely) and opened a luthier school where people learned how to build nice sounding instruments, not only nice looking ones. If you buy a cheaper chinese instrument you can have luck that you get one of the nice sounding ones. (Will it stay nice sounding?) But if you spend some more money, the better chinese instruments come from a single chinese master luthier who can be extremely skilled, so you can get very good instruments from china but you should look where it comes from. That's it so far from the "technical side". Not so easy to get hands on a good viola. If you go to the luthier, he can show you 30 different violins, but only 2-3 violas... Even the luthiers being specialized in building violas are quite rare and one has to travel through half the country to get to one. And they all have very different sounds, it varies much more than on violins... Some play very nicely alone but don't fit well in an orchestra or chamber music. This is also worth to try out, if it blends nicely with other instruments.

[@heatherhawken]

All super helpful thank you 😊

[@Katherinosaurus]

Omg this is so helpful, thank you for putting this video together!! I'm a recreational violist who's been using the same viola for about 15 years and I've been working up the nerve to go shopping for a new viola -- also trying to work through the feeling that I'm abandoning my old viola after all this time, haha. (Also I know this video is from two years ago, but Lauren Daigle has a holiday album that definitely has Sinatra flavor to it!)

[@heatherhawken]

I’m so glad you found it helpful! Oh I’ll check it out thank you 😃 x

[@elizabethanderson4979]

Birds of Chicago! Also Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox re-composes and covers contemporary songs in swing tempo and style, they are GREAT

[@carrieannkouri2151]

This is great information. I bought a Chinese viola as an adult learner, and I love it. Very rich, warm tones.

[@heatherhawken]

Thank you! I’ve just done the same, I absolutely adore my new instrument and so many people wouldn’t have even tried it

[@ahrabates635]

Could you share what you buy? I would love to look into it

[@charlessanders7619]

Great tips all!! Love your presentation style. I’m a beginner violist w/15” viola, taking lesson for over a year. Thinking about purchasing 15 1/2” or 16” viola. Will keep your ideas in mind. Good luck in your musical career!

[@heatherhawken]

Thank you so much! Good luck with it 😁

[@KarryRitter]

Hi. I'm a fairly recent beginning Viola-player, (I won't use the exalted term Violist yet, or for a long time), and have been trying to get a handle on the components of The Viola Sound. I've encountered a lot of verbiage but so far no videos that actually offer comparisons of differing Sounds. Specifically, well, Warm vs Bright (though I think that's pretty much self-evident), but especially Broad vs Focused. If you're looking for a topic for your next video, something like this would certainly be helpful for me and, I have to believe, for many other "Viola-players." PS I'm dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to computer stuff. Hope you get this message

[@heatherhawken]

Haha don’t worry I still very much say viola player so there’s nothing lesser about that at all ☺️ sure thing! I’ll have a think about what I could do on that subject

[@TheJensenInterceptor]

Thank you so much, already purchased my French 100 year old Viola. Very happy with it. But still cannot sort out a shoulder rest that works for me.

[@heatherhawken]

Shoulder rests are tricky! I was going to make a video on them but to be honest, the only way to really get one that works for you is to go into an instrument shop and try lots of different kinds!

[@dolceviolins9535]

I agree that it's really overwhelming to choose a new instrument especially when you are a beginner. This is why we have a rental option at our store. If you don't feel happy with the instrument you chose, simply get another one.

[@heatherhawken]

Such a good idea! I've always been surprised by shops that refuse to let you try them over a longer period... Always feels like there's more pressure on you in the moment

[@jaimyrivera1769]

Does this advice apply to people who have been out of practice for a long time? I was in orchestra throughout middle and high school and I rented out my violas throughout all those years bc I couldn’t afford to buy one so I really don’t know what to look for. I finally have the money to buy one but I haven’t played in 2 years since I graduated

[@heatherhawken]

Hiya! Yes absolutely! I tried to keep the advice across the board because other than the differences in budget, everyone is simply looking for the instrument that will best suit them and their needs at the end of the day. If you're out of practice I would definitely take either a friend who plays or a local teacher with you who can put the instrument through its paces a bit and also give you another ear in the room. The difference between how the instrument sounds under your ear to how it sounds across a room can be crazy! x

[@thomassicard3733]

Thank you for this video! I will be buying a viola soon. I am a beginner and will buy a viola for the the remainder of my life (I'm 60). I will have a true violist (with similar hands to mine) play the violas. I will make my choice. I played French horn in the Houston Symphony in my mid-20's. I play trumpet fairly well, now. I have played piano for 53 years. Yeah. I can play it. I 'size' to a 15.61" viola, but am certain I will be happier with a 16" (or around that) viola. I know I can handle that - the 1/2 steps are much more agreeable at that scale length!!!

[@heatherhawken]

Yeah worth trying out a few different sizes to see what will suit you best :-)

[@user-do5hd7zb4x]

Hi Heather, chris in usa.christmas eveDec 23 2023. Ive been working on my bow hold grip.Also working on As good as New by Abba. I have formulated a spray cleaner for violin bows. You spray a piece of toilet paper and gently rub on the hairs of the bow to clean off old rosin and oils and dirt. So have been trying to learn harmonics to tune with but getting confused. Have merry christmas bye for now!😅

[@victoriamhendrix94]

Thank you for this I am not anywhere near a professional I will just be starting out as an adult getting my first viola I have been wanting to play since 5th grade and family could not afford it but I found a rent-to-own program near me which means each payment I make toward the instrument will be mine excited

[@heatherhawken]

Oh how exciting! Good for you and that sounds like a great program 😃

[@michaelbrekkestran1462]

Robyn Adele Anderson covers modern and even rock songs in a classic jazz lounge style. She's really good and fun to watch.

[@heatherhawken]

I'll check her out, thank you!

[@juliettegilgen1538]

Thank U for infos.. another question: for how long would you say that the “new” instrument may develop and change its sound ? I have a 7 years old viola and … well sometimes wonder if the deeper velvet will still come more .. or not !

[@heatherhawken]

You’re so welcome! So an instrument will change incrementally over its entire lifetime but I wouldn’t expect a drastic change after the first couple of years or so

[@ConnorMalanos]

Thank you so much for this. I apreciate your warm energy! I'd love a few private lessons - I'll send you an email :)

[@user-do5hd7zb4x]

How do you stand on olive oil and gut strings? Do you think olive oil ruins gut strings?

[@heatherhawken]

I must confess I don’t have any expertise when it comes to gut strings I’m afraid

[@lilydapug5399]

Do you have any tips for choosing between two violas? I’ve been playing for over three years now and I’m looking to buy a viola (I’ve been renting) for the first time. I’ve narrowed it down to two violas (the music store let me take them home to decide and try out at home), but it’s been a few weeks and I’m still very indecisive. I love both of their sounds.

[@heatherhawken]

Hello! So what I would do is start blindly testing them, and there are a few ways you can do that. Close your eyes and get someone to hand you each without telling you which one is which. Ask your teacher to play each one to you while your back is turned. And then, play each to your teacher while their back is turned. This just gives you a totally "unbiased" way of hearing them straight next to each other. Consider how comfortable each one is to play as well, for example, if one is really a bit too big then it can cause you some serious reoccurring injuries down the line. Also, a way that I found really helpful but isn't always, is to imagine giving each back to the shop, which one would you be most sad to say goodbye to. Good luck! x

[@lilydapug5399]

@@heatherhawken Thank you so much, I really appreciate such a thorough reply! This is definitely really helpful :)

[@user-sh6mi2mf8t]

Heather I have a question

[@heatherhawken]

Go for it!

[@user-sh6mi2mf8t]

If you are going to get a viola for a beginner what do you recommend

[@RJ-vv1nr]

You might like Peter Grant. Check him out

[@heatherhawken]

I will thank you!

[@thomassicard3733]

Buble... *yawn*

[@heatherhawken]

Haha I like him what can I say...