Viola | Part Time Musician . com

Joke of the Day: Differences between Violin and Viola

A fellow orchestra member (oboe/English horn) recently slipped me a joke shared with him by a violist friend and I just had to share it. In my extensive instrument humor research – oh yes, I even (especially?) research the humor – I noted there are two alternatives to the answer provided by the aforementioned violist…so I’ve included those as well. Enjoy!

Q: What are the differences between a violin and a viola?
A1: The viola burns longer.
A2: The viola holds more beer.
A3: You can tune the violin.

I don’t make ‘em up, folks; I just pass ‘em along. :-)

Keep playing (and smiling!),
Mark

Joke of the Day: Violas and Trampolines

I have to admit that this is one of my all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy it as well…especially if you also play viola.

Q: What is the difference between a viola and a trampoline?

A: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.

Keep playing,
Mark

Viola shootout! – The Final Episode

Episode 3: The Decision

In the previous two articles, I explained our need for a new viola and the key parts of the process we followed to select one. I also described our primary criteria – sound, feel, price, and looks – and the role each played in our decision. I also introduced our final contestants, an Andreas Eastman 305 and a Scott Cao 750, and gave you a look at how each met those four criteria. What I didn’t tell you was which one we selected and why. Well, let’s get to it!

And the Winner is…

The Scott Cao 750!

Why, you ask? Well, the Eastman is a very nice instrument, but remember the criteria? Let’s address them one by one and see where the 305 fell short, just barely enough to merit a return trip to Centsible Sounds.

Sound

From yesterday’s article, regarding the Scott Cao:

This viola had more of a “soloist” sound to it, with vocal characteristics reminiscent of a violin – in a good way. The sound was pleasant and full, projection was exceptional, and every string produced a clear, sweet tone.

The sound produced by the Scott Cao was amazing for a viola of any caliber, but especially so for one that is in this price range. Was this particular viola an exceptional specimen? I’ve no idea. But from the moment it was tuned, the deck was clearly stacked in the Cao’s favor.

Feel

Again, from yesterday’s article:

The Cao was easy to play, with the sound practically leaping from the strings. The only concern expressed by my daughter – remarkably – was of difficulty “toning it down” to maintain balance in an ensemble…a good problem to have.

For our primary instruments, we become familiar with idiosyncrasies that form part of that instrument’s “personality” and grow very comfortable dealing with them…for better or worse. We spend much less time with a secondary instrument, and as such, we don’t develop the depth of familiarity (and comfort) that we do with our primary. A key consideration for us was how much of an adjustment would be required when our violinist daughter would, on occasion, lay down the violin to pick up the viola. With the Cao, the answer was “not much”.

Price

The difference in price between the two violas was small, although the Cao was slightly more expensive. With university tuition due very soon, this factored in more than it might have otherwise…but the Cao’s sound quickly eroded the influence of the small price premium.

Looks

This is where the Cao was on its weakest footing relative to the Andreas Eastman 305. To quote yesterday’s article once again, this time regarding the Eastman:

The Eastman is eye-wateringly beautiful. It’s clear that the Eastman luthiers strive to make these instruments look like the masters of old themselves crafted them, and they’re doing a fine job of it. Put simply, it looks magnificent.

If we were buying a viola solely for its looks, the Eastman would have won before either was taken from its case. But we buy instruments to play, and while the Eastman had a very nice sound, the Cao sounded as beautiful as the Eastman looked. And that’s really what matters most, isn’t it?

Keep playing,
Mark

NOTE: I can’t say enough good things about the folks at Centsible Sounds. Vince and Marie Roberts (proprietors) are advertisers here, but we have dealt with their company for many years and have always appreciated their customer-first attitude, great service, and fabulous prices. If you are happy with your current fine stringed-instrument shop, that’s great…but if not, please give the folks at Centsible Sounds a try. I haven’t yet found a better combination of quality, price, and service anywhere.

Viola shootout! – Episode 2

Episode 2: The Comparison

In yesterday’s article, I described the basic requirements we were looking to fill in our quest for a new viola: sound, feel, price, and looks – in that order, more or less. I also described my conversation about those requirements with Marie at Centsible Sounds and the results: she agreed to ship us an Andreas Eastman 305 and a Scott Cao 750 for our evaluation. Here’s what happened next…

As soon as the violas arrived at the house, we carefully unpacked them and let them adjust to the present temperature and humidity, making note of the packaging and visually inspecting the instruments themselves. Both came in suspension cases that were packed within larger boxes to avoid damage. Both violas looked as if we had hand-picked them from the wall ourselves. So far, so good.

Once the violas had acclimated, we began the serious process of evaluation. Two of our daughters played the violas, although the instruments were always compared using the “same musician”. One bow and type of rosin was used for both violas, and listening was done from all angles, even facing away for “blind tests” at times. Everything was kept as consistent as possible to produce the most unbiased comparison achievable. Below are the observations.

Andreas Eastman 305