What's the difference between Viola and Violin?

I am going to start learning Viola, which is easier to play? Not many people play the Viola so that's why I want to play it. I can also get into an orchestra.

What's the difference between Viola and Violin?
Both are equally hard. Both have beautiful sounds. But viola needs more work on bow weight and control because of its thicker strings. It's harder to get a good sound out of the lower viola strings than the violin. Viola is bigger and tuned a perfect 5th lower than the violin - violin open strings are GDAE, viola's is CGDA. It also has a darker, mellower tone quality as compared to violin. Viola usually doesn't get a lot of solo parts in orchestras, it's used more for the middle harmonies. So it may seem unimportant, but once you take out the viola section, you can immediately tell that something's missing without looking at the performers on stage. But I've heard viola solos and they sound as beautiful as violin solos - velvety, warm, rich. Viola reads the alto clef whereas violin uses treble. The note-reading may be more challenging if you're not used to looking at clefs other than treble and bass. You'll get used to it soon enough though. I learnt to read it fluently within 3 mths of switching to viola from violin (because my school orchestra needed violists, so they asked me to switch to the viola section).
Reply:Actually, viola is harder. Not by much.





The viola is actually a compromise instrument. Full-sized violas have a body length of 15 to 17 inches, typically; but that's undersized--if we enlarge a full-sized violin properly to support tuning a fifth lower, it would have a 21 or 22 inch body length. But an instrument that large would be impossible to play "a braccia" (under the chin), so the instrument gets undersized a bit--explaining why it's often difficult to get a good tone on the lower string of the viola.





Greater size and weight means that there's more pressure on the chin and laterally on the cervical and dorsal spine. In simple terms, violists get upper back and jaw problems more than any other instrumentalist.





Because the fingerboard on the viola is larger, it makes fingerings more difficult. Some of the more technical orchestral pieces are not so tough on violin but they give the violas a severe workout.





And, as aforementioned, bow weight on the strings is more touchy.





Given all that--you'll want to get the largest viola that your fingers and neck can stand (for tone). Start working with the instrument by practicing for 10-15 minutes four or five times daily, and then increase the length of one of those practice sessions by no more than 10% each week--this is to build up your muscle and joint strength properly, avoiding upper back injury. Eventually you get your stamina up to an hour and then you can pursue one or two long practices per day.





(On a theoretical level, I wonder, wonder, wonder why violists don't break with tradition, get instruments with 21-24 inch body length, and play them "a gamba"--on the leg, sitting them up on their laps like an octave-cello. That would provide advantages in technique, remove the hazard of back maladies, and provide a monster tone from even a mediocre instrument.)
Reply:See:





What's the difference between the violin and the viola?


http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCare...
Reply:The spelling is different. For one!





The viola's timbre sets it apart: its rich, dark-toned sonority is more full-bodied than the violin's. The viola's mellow voice is frequently used for playing inner harmonies, and it does not enjoy the wide solo repertoire.





The viola is usually bigger.





Mainly, they are close to the learning curve.
Reply:A viola is slightly bigger than a violin and is tuned lower. Also the violin's strings are E, A, D, G and the viola's strings are A, D, G, C (5th below the violin).. the same as a cello but an octave higher. Most violin music is in the treble cleff whereas most viola music is in the alto cleff.


I'm not sure which is easier to play but I reckon the viola has a nice tone to it as it won't be as squeaky and loads of people already play the violin. The cello is also a really nice instrument though.. I personally think it has the nicest sound :)
Reply:Viola: The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the violin and the lower lines played by the cello.


The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range (the viola is a perfect fifth below the violin), and identical playing position. However, the viola's timbre sets it apart: its rich, dark-toned sonority is more full-bodied than the violin's. The viola's mellow voice is frequently used for playing inner harmonies, and it does not enjoy the wide solo repertoire or fame of the violin.


The name of the instrument is properly pronounced "vee-oh-la" (but often incorrectly pronounced "vai-oh-la" as the woman's name "Viola" is spoken).





Violin: The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. (The inclusion of the double bass in the family is disputed.)


A violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, no matter what kind of music is played on it. The word "violin" comes to us through the Romance languages from the Middle Latin word vitula, meaning "stringed instrument";[1] this word may also be the source of the Germanic "fiddle".


A person who plays the violin is called a violinist or fiddler, and a person who makes or repairs them is called a luthier, or simply a violin maker.
Reply:maybe their size differ from each other, spelling is obvious
Reply:I play the violin. The only difference is that the viola is lower in sound.
Reply:If you have no orchestral experience, neither instrument will be any more difficult than the other. Viola is interesting in that it is played in the alto clef though. So that will be a bit of an extra step in the learning curve.
Reply:Actually, I know, they are only the same, only that Viola is the Italian Translation of Violin.