A Closer Look at Viola and Violin

For someone who is no expert about string instruments, it is easy to conclude that primarily, all of them are the same in a lot of ways and telling them apart is pointless. Best example for this is the viola and violin because both are originally made in Italy and they make use of bows, which is the main and most basic tool in producing music. In comparison, viola and violin have more differences that are easily overlooked by a lot of people.

As one listens, it is easy to tell the difference because violas produce a deeper and mellower sound because of its thick strings while the violin has a higher pitch. Violin is a perfect accompaniment for melody in a repertoire composed in Treble Clef while viola’s music is more in Alto or in C clef. But the major difference of the two is their size where the viola follows a standard size and it is much bigger than the violin. In terms of their bows, a violins bow is longer.

It is interesting to know that the sound from a viola should not come close to any sounds in the orchestra. Thus, viola has a different process in tuning than that of the violin because the sound it produced must be one-fifth lower than the violin or it can depend on the musician’s sound preference. Viola’s sound goes about to three and a half octaves which is the same sound produced by the highest notes in piano and harmonics.

Viola and violin may be different in a lot of cases, but the beautiful music they produce is both made by their bows and by nimble fingers plucking the strings. Although, in handling both instruments, one needs to be capable as both require learning the proper techniques to create music. Viola, with its big size, should be handled with ease and comfort while for the one playing the violin should master positioning it on the left side of the face.

Violins exhibited its prowess during the Baroque period and slowly paved its way as a favorite instrument among modern artists nowadays, especially those in the genre of indie, pop and jazz. But, the viola was the ideal instrument for orchestral music to create harmony. Viola also served as an instrument for chamber music which has string quintets to play Baroque and classical music pieces

Long gone were the days of debate on music history as it has been established that it was the viola which came first prior to the violin in the 16^th century. Viola was the popular accompaniment among famous composers such as Bach and Beethoven in their Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and Serenade in D major, respectively.