<p>One of my daughters was given her teacher’s beautiful Erdesz viola to play after he was tragically killed in an auto accident. She was 14 at the time and the instrument, although only 15 1/2", had very wide lower bouts. She ended up with a bad case of tendinitis and was unable to play for a time (she has short arms and small hands.) So, yes, there is more to the size of a viola than its length.</p>
<p>Just wanted to check back in and share some of the information we learned during my daughter’s viola search. It has successfully come to an end; she has a 16" that is lightweight with a sound she is delighted with, and her teacher is, too. She tried out 14 total, all in the $5,000 range, over a 2+ month period, two different shops. She ended up bringing 2 to try with her teacher. They messed about with them both, and then he totally left it up to my daughter to chose the one she preferred. After the final decision was made he said she definitely chose the right instrument for her. It was a good process. </p>
<p>The first time we went from our rental viola to our first step-up viola the teacher played a much bigger role, since my daughter didn’t know how to really evaluate instruments. This time, since she has more experience and a better ear, my daughter did most of the legwork. </p>
<p>There were a few violas that immediately had a marvelous rich sound, but she struggled to keep them from sounding “fuzzy.” This might not have been an issue for another violist, however, since everyone plays differently. She preferred an instrument with a brighter sound.</p>
<p>One thing we learned that helped my daughter a lot was focusing on the G string. Although many people consider the C string ‘the soul of the viola’ (see a professor’s comment above, and we heard that echoed quite a bit), another violist suggested that the G string was the key. He said there is an inherent tension in a viola between richness and clarity. A deeper, richer sound requires the violist to find the clarity, and a viola with a ‘bright’ sound needs the violist to find and bring out the warmth/richness. The G string is where he finds that tension most pronounced and so when he tries out a new instrument G is the string he will focus on after getting an overall feel for how the instrument sounds by running scales, playing a few different pieces, etc.</p>
<p>Whether this holds true for anyone else or not, it was just the tip my daughter needed to figure out what she was looking for as she tried out violas. It isn’t the sound of the viola as much as the sound the violist will make with her instrument. However, listening to other people play the instrument is <em>really</em> valuable since it shows the potential the instrument has as the student advances.</p>
<p>In about a year we will start looking for a bow which will be another completely different process! Best wishes to anyone reading this who is starting the journey to upgrade a viola. Try not to be intimidated, take your time, and enjoy the experience as much as you can. The result will be worth it.</p>
<p>Congrats on finding the right instrument!</p>
<p>Glad your search turned out well. But I must add one thought about price ranges.
We needed a new bow and had a budget. The luthier must have loaned us about 30 bows to try in our price range, three or four at a time. Then finally in the last batch he put one in that was out of our price range and told me not to tell me daughter. She picked it immediately. We still couldn’t afford it but it told us one thing- that the problem was in our price point. So knowing this, she went back and picked the best bow out of the ones in our price range, knowing that these were all of her choices and the ultimate bow was going to be further down the road. Funny, but without knowing the prices she went with the least expensive of the bunch. Of course with a conservatory coming up in the fall and her loaner instrument to go back we have to get serious again. Sigh.</p>