How do you change viola parts in a music piece so that a cello can play it?

How do you change viola parts in a music piece so that a cello can play it? There is already a cello part but we are short of a viola and have an extra cello...how do we do it. There is a violin and two cellos and we would like to play this piece.

How do you change viola parts in a music piece so that a cello can play it?
Well, there are two things to consider.





First, the viola and cello usually read in different clefs. The viola (alto) clef puts middle C on the middle line of the staff. The cello usually reads in bass clef, where middle C is on the first ledger line above the staff.





If the cellist is not used to reading alto clef, one tip is to imagine 3 additional lines below the staff. Draw them in if necessary (at least at the beginning of the piece). These lines would be the bottom 3 lines of the staff in bass clef. It takes a bit of getting used to.





The other thing to consider is that the cello cannot play as high as the viola. On passages that go above the cellos range, you must play the notes an octave lower. (Ideally you would re-voice the harmony for the instruments you have, but jumping down the octave would be easiest and won't sound too strange if you plan when to do it.)





The range thing may not be an issue in easier pieces where the viola part stays in the middle of its range. The cellist must be adept at playing in the higher range though.





I love the sound of celli. Once you figure it out, I bet the piece will sound great!





peace





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Reply:Transpose from alto clef to bass clef and (pretty much) down an octave.

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