Show us your Violas! 馃ぉ
Welcome to our very first discussion of the week on the tonebase Viola Forum! 馃幓
As violists, our instruments are more than just tools鈥攖hey're extensions of our musical souls. Whether your viola is a cherished antique, a modern masterpiece, or a well-loved student model, it has its own unique story and personality.
This week, we're celebrating our beautiful instruments by inviting you to share a picture of your viola.
Tell us why it's special to you. Is there a particular feature, history, or story behind it? Does it have a name? We want to see and hear it all!
Not only is this a great way to showcase the variety and craftsmanship of our instruments, but it鈥檚 also a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow violists and appreciate the diverse world of viola making. Let's fill this thread with the beauty of our violas and the stories that make them so dear to us.
Can鈥檛 wait to see your violas!
4 replies
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I am happy to go first!! This is my viola next to her little sister! Both are made by Domenico Fantin, the Violin in 2008 and the Viola in 2012. I acquired both from master Fantin himself and as he was already in his 90s when I saw him to acquire the viola, he told me that this viola is the last one he will ever make. It is a 17.5 inch, so on the larger side and accordingly with a quite sonorous, wide sound, but she makes you work for it :D
I am very happy with this pair of modern instruments and my viola especially has been such a great partner in chamber music with wonderful friends and colleagues and is part of many cherished musical memories. -
Hi everyone!
I'm Anneli and am a violin teacher in New Zealand. One day, out of the blue I had a new student enquiring about viola lessons. I did not have a viola at the time and as I had planned to visit Shanghai, I went to the workshop of a violin builder where I order fractional violins for my students. I spent more than 6 hours playing on different violas and finally decided on (not the most expensive, actually very cheap!) viola made by Liu Xi, which had a very good tone across all the strings and even with the Chinese strings did not have a very shrill A string. So, $600 later I had myself a viola and once I returned to New Zealand, I started experimenting with different strings.
I finally decided to go with the Larsen Virtuoso strings that gives me the warmth I want in my viola.
I prefer a centre-mounted chin rest to get the viola a bit higher on my shoulder.
I'm still getting my head around the alto clef, especially when I have to sightread more difficult scores, but the more I'm doing it, the less frequently my brain just switches to treble clef and the easier it is becoming!
I love the journey of discovering the different bow weight and speed required to produce a full and warm tone on the viola!
