Instruments & Voices

Viola

Pronounced vee-OH-lah

Definition

The viola is a bowed string instrument slightly larger than the violin, tuned C–G–D–A, a fifth lower. It has a warm, darker tone, plays the inner parts of the string section and reads mainly alto clef.

The viola looks like a violin, but it is a little larger and sounds a perfect fifth lower. That lower tuning gives it a warm, dark, slightly veiled tone that many listeners describe as closer to the human voice. In the orchestra and the string quartet it plays the middle of the harmony, between the violins above and the cellos below.

How it makes its sound

The viola works exactly like the violin: you draw a rosined bow across the strings or pluck them (pizzicato), and your left-hand fingers stop the strings on a fingerboard with no frets. It is held under the chin in the same way. Because the body is bigger, the stretches between fingers are a little wider and the bow is slightly heavier.

Violas do not have one standard size. Full-size instruments are usually measured by body length, roughly 15 to 17 inches (about 38 to 43 cm), and players choose what suits their arms and hands. Children start on smaller violas, or on a violin strung with viola strings.

Tuning and range

The strings are C3, G3, D4 and A4, each a perfect fifth apart. The top three are the same as the violin's lowest three; the viola swaps the violin's high E for a low C. The range runs from the open C3 up to around E6 in most music, and higher in solo writing.

How viola music is written: the alto clef

Viola music is written mainly in the alto clef, a C clef whose center marks middle C on the middle line of the staff. Most of the viola's range sits comfortably on that staff, where in treble clef it would need many ledger lines below and in bass clef many above. For high passages the music switches to treble clef. The viola is the main instrument that reads alto clef today, so violists learn it from the start.

Two panels. Top, labeled Alto clef: a staff with a C clef and whole notes C3 below one ledger line, G3 in the first space, D4 in the third space and A4 just above the top line, named underneath. Bottom, labeled Treble and bass clefs: a grand staff with C3 and G3 on the bass staff and D4 and A4 on the treble staff. — Top: the four open strings, C3, G3, D4 and A4, in alto clef, where middle C is the middle line. Press play to hear them on piano. Bottom: the same four pitches on the grand staff, split between bass and treble clefs. The alto clef keeps them all on one staff.

Its role

Much of the time the viola fills in the harmony, holds inner lines and adds rhythm, and its sound gives the string section its depth. It also has a solo repertoire of sonatas, concertos and chamber music, and composers often give it melodies that need its darker color.

Tips for beginners

Learn the alto clef as its own clef rather than translating from treble: middle C on the middle line is your anchor.
Let the bow's weight sink into the thicker strings; the C string needs a slower, heavier stroke than the violin's E.
Choose an instrument size you can play without straining, rather than the biggest one you can reach.

Common questions

What is the difference between a violin and a viola?

The viola is slightly larger, sounds a perfect fifth lower and has a darker tone. Its strings are C, G, D, A instead of the violin's G, D, A, E, and its music is written mainly in alto clef rather than treble clef.

Why does the viola use the alto clef?

The viola's range is centered around middle C. In alto clef, middle C is the middle line, so most viola notes fit on the staff, while treble or bass clef would need many ledger lines.