Why does this matter in this case?

As violas are larger than violins, they require a slightly different technique, including different fingering. They are often used to play the melody line, as well as to harmonize. Its pitch ranges from G3 to C8, the highest note on a modern piano. Violas are larger than violins and have a deeper, mellower sound.

A violin plays melody and has the opportunity for solos. The only differences are in size and calibration.

A violin has G, D, A, E tuning and can play from G on the lowest open string up to B on the E string if your fingers can stretch that far. While violins have a higher e-string, the violas have a low c-string. Because the instruments are so different in build and tonal range, there are some very clear differences when it comes to playing. As a viola player, you will have to get familiar with the alto clef.

The left hand presses the strings to produce pitch and the right hand either bows or plucks the strings to create the sound. Diffen LLC, n.d. The viola plays harmony and is an integral but largely low key part of an orchestra. Thicker strings require a faster bow movement and heavier hand than a violin to achieve that rich sonorous sound we are looking for. The violin is also called a fiddle when used to play folk music. Since the beginning of 20th century, composers have reinvented viola’s play style, and they’re know pretty much as versatile as violins.

(viola of the arm which gave us viola and violin). The violin is a higher range instrument which is played in Treble Clef. Apart from classical music, the violin is often used in various electronic and pop music, even heavy metal.

Viola vs Violin The violin and viola are very similar instruments in many ways. These range from how they look to how they feel and how they sound.

Did you ever hear of the phrase “And the world’s smallest violin played”? It’s not impossible or very difficult, but it is considerably frustrating for sure. For the most part, both violins and violas use just four strings. It is also a more commonly used clef and presents less of a learning curve if switching from other instruments. But even though they have the same number of strings, the tuning is different. With both instruments, the student models will be cheaper. We touched on the range of the violin and viola a moment ago but let’s cover it in a little more detail here. That’s because of how different the notations are. Even though I’ve previously mentioned that there are more spots for violinists in an ensemble, the competition is also far fiercer.