Should I play the Violin or Viola?

Okay... I'm in 6th grade and I moved to a new school and they had an orchestra! If I started there I would probably be playing the violin or viola. I've played the piano and clarinet so far. I don't really care if the instrument is hard to play because with both of my instruments i practiced 1.5 - 2.5 hours. So I absolutely know i wanted to play viola or violin. I read that size matters and I'm 4ft. 6inches so if that helps then yeah... Money's not an issue... I heard that people would rather hire violist because of thier scarce amount. I heard that violins are popular are the "main" part of an orchestra (as in majority of sound). But... violoa's get more soloes so right now I'm leaning on the viola side 3/2 (reasons to be viola on left and reasons for violin on left). I know this is a decission I should make but I just want to see the outcome.(If everyone say's violin I would like a good reason in the LONG run not like the first year you got it.) So yeah...

Should I play the Violin or Viola?
Well, there are two possibilities if you play the viola.





a) You could become a great player, and since orchestras are ALWAYS looking for good violists, you could be guaranteed to have jobs for the rest of your life.


b) Since there's very little competition for violists, you could, potentially, end up being content with mediocrity, and always be a lesser musician compared to the violinists.





But, it sounds to me like you have a decent level of dedication if you've already committed some time to piano and clarinet. If you can motivate yourself to work and improve, even when there's no competition, you could be a great violist. I played euphonium for a good 8 years, and I had absolutely no competition, but I always pushed myself to improve because I knew that there were better players out there. Now, I'm principally a trombone player, and I have far more competition, but I still have about the same level of motivation.





In short: If you're self-motivated, take the viola. If you need competition to motivate you to work, take the violin.





Also, if you play viola, you'll need to put your pride aside, because you'll rarely get solos. (Although, in the case of viola-playing composers such as Dvorak, orchestral viola parts are sometimes more interesting than the violin parts.)
Reply:Keeping this short(no wall of words): play the violin.
Reply:Viola. EVERYONE and their DOG plays violin. You'll be in demand.
Reply:Violas do not get more solos. The viola will NEVER get a solo.





Violins get all the solos and most of the interesting parts but there is always a shortage of viola players. The extra size of the viola can present difficulties to most people. I do not play the viola for that reason. I learn the violin because the viola is just too big for me. It is only a difference of a few inches but it seems huge once you get it up on your shoulder. Can you put your left arm around the scroll and still have a bend in your elbow ? That is the test for size.





You will only get to play a solo on the violin if you are very good.





You will need private lessons for both instruments. The violin and viola are very difficult instruments to learn.





Good luck.





http://violinmasterclass.com/mc_menu.php





PS I actually prefer the mellow sound of the viola ; everybody loves it.
Reply:You should play the cello, my personal favorite.





But if I was in your position I would think of the benefits of both. With the viola, if you become professional with it and become very good then you can for sure get a scholarship to a good music school because violas are scarce. But you need to realize that violas do not really get solos in orchestra/ symphony pieces. I don't know where you got the idea that a viola solos more than a violin. A cello gets a lot more solos usually than a viola does in pieces. But to be honest I don't like the viola sound that much. To me it does not have that big of a range. I would pick the violin if I were you. The violin is featured a lot throughout pieces and has more solo opportunities. But when you play violin, it seems like everyone else does too. It is played a lot more often and so it can make it hard to audition for things unless you are really good. But violas always seem to be needed, so if you want to stand out a little bit more, then choose the viola.





Good luck to you!
Reply:I think most people would agree that there's more fun stuff to do with violin. Violas rarely get the melody (though that's certainly not a bad thing necessarily). But there are tons of violinists and auditions can get really competitive. And viola does have a really lovely sound, plus more low notes. There's more written for violin though.





A lot of people start out on the violin and then switch to viola. (I sort of tried viola for a little but stopped because I was too busy with violin!) Both are beautiful instruments, anyway, and I don't think you'll regret whichever you pick. Good luck.