While approaching the viola from a violin background can initially seem relatively compatible, there are a lot of factors to be aware of as you shift your playing technique over from violin to viola.

In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about playing viola for violinists - from bow hold, viola placement, bow arm technique, and more, you should be well equipped to start your journey on the viola.

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Let’s jump into the post!

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Bow grip on the viola

The viola has heavier gauge strings than the violin, so one could assume that playing with a heavier bow stroke is necessary. While this is a crude assumption, this statement has some truth.

Maintaining a thick sound, especially near the tip of the bow, requires some attention to our right arm. We want to feel as if our right hand and arm hang on the bow using the weight of gravity to press the string.

Grab a bottle of water. Typically, your grip will have the thumb opposing the index finger. With a heavier bottle, the thumb will reach your middle or ring finger. 

Now, as you grab your bow, think of a grip similar to how you grabbed the water bottle. Allow the right hand to hang on the bow while the left hand holds the bow. Now, be sure that the pinky is on top and the thumb is opposing the middle or ring finger.

Remember that the pinky is mainly responsible for balancing the weight of the bow (and little else). 

The index finger should stabilize, and the thumb should be at a fulcrum point. These three balance points keep the bow hand anchored and stable. Lastly, it is essential to have rounded knuckles to ensure flexibility when needed.

Placement of the viola

Basic relaxation

Take some time to relax the body. 

Try rolling the neck in both directions and doing some shoulder raises. Then, we can add a simple breath exercise, inhaling as you raise the shoulders and exhaling as they drop. 

Gently shake out the body and ensure the knees are not locked.

Finding angles

Look for 90-degree angles. Raise your arms to chest height in front, then spread them outward to a 90-degree angle. 

Flip the right arm over; we are now in a standard viola-playing position.

Holding the viola

Take your left hand and grab the viola near the shoulder rest, holding it with one hand. Notice the weight of the instrument. Then, add a small amount of support on the neck with your right hand; it should become easier to hold the instrument. 

Many violists rely solely on the neck, shoulder, and chin to keep the viola in place. Violists must also support the weight of the instrument from the left hand to offer a more responsive relationship for tone production. Dvořák’s “American” Quartet (Op. 96) starts with a viola solo that requires weight into the string. If I support with the left hand, it will help balance how weight is put into the string.

Shoulder rests/finding the right position

Players come in all sizes. An important concept is to stay flexible and buoyant with the instrument. 

If you use a shoulder rest, try taking it off and find a position where the viola can rest with balance on the body. Take the right hand and grab the viola, placing the viola in the neck at the 90-degree angle position of the left arm. 

Raise the left arm to the instrument and let go of the right hand. Remember to keep the neck and shoulders in a neutral, relaxed position. Find the sweet spot that isn’t too forward or backward on the shoulders and balances itself. Gently place the chin on the instrument. 

Using the left arm, move the instrument around in space and notice if you have the flexibility to allow it to pivot and move.

Thoughts on shoulder rests

There are some shoulder rests that are made and advertised to conform to your body shape. 

The issue with these is that the viola becomes locked into the position the shoulder rest conforms to. The viola can move, but the body moves stiffly with it. It doesn’t necessarily offer the flexibility for the viola and body to move independently. 

If there is a gap between the body and the instrument you can fill it with something other than a shoulder rest that allows for free movement. You can use a sponge, cloth, or something similar. 

You should be able to support your viola with the left hand from below. You should also be able to move the instrument in a way that gives the shoulder and arm the ability to move and adjust as needed while playing.

Bow arm

Let's start with a detaché long bow on one note. Play an open string to start. The viola bow is longer and heavier than a violin bow. 

While bowing, think of the shoulder staying low and relaxed. The bow arm moves in a two-part movement. Starting from the frog, the arm moves from the existing angle with the elbow until the middle of the bow. Then, the elbow joint opens, and the low arm is used on the up-bow until the middle of the bow.

Stretching

The wrist is an essential element in this process. The back of the hand should always face the player rather than rotate. Be careful not to compromise the bow hold. The body will naturally want to pronate through the bow arm movement. 

To avoid this, keep a stretch in the bow arm to maintain your bow hold throughout the movement. When pronation starts to occur naturally, that is a sign to move into an up-bow. 

As you think of stretching the arm rather than pronating the bow, the length will increase before pronation occurs. It can also be helpful in a down-bow to put slightly more pressure on the index finger as you move towards the tip of the bow and back into the pinky on the up-bow.

Kreutzer

First, try playing around the middle zone or the lower arm and around the elbow. 

Play Kreuzer while repeating each note four times to allow room to notice how your arm moves. 

Making sure the shoulders are relaxed, play at a medium tempo while repeating each pitch four times in the middle of the bow. The right hand has some flexibility while ensuring the actual effort comes from the lower arm.

Now, try playing closer to the frog. The pinky will need to offer some counter adjustment for the bow weight. The arm moves in its entirety without shoulder movement.

Then, play at the tip of the bow to put the stretching exercise to the test. After completing each of these, try playing by slowly moving through each section of the bow. 

If we practice these bow sections separately and slowly, we can maintain the same sound quality no matter where in the bow we are.

In-and-out

While playing a down-bow, we slightly move our bow hand in front and away from our body. An up-bow comes back in towards the body. 

The sounding point is the ideal spot for the bow to contact the string. It is where we get the best resonance and overtones. It is crucial to maintain a consistent sound no matter where we are on the bow. 

This consistency is accomplished by using the concept of in-and-out. The viola bow is longer than the violin bow, so the point of contact on the string is further away.

Straight bow at the tip

Depending on the height and length of the violist, it can be difficult to do an in-and-out technique. 

This movement can cause a circular motion that can help maintain a straight bow while moving toward the tip. Move the viola in the direction of the bow to achieve this technique.

Stamitz Viola Concerto

An example of the importance of actively relaxing the right shoulder and hanging on the string is the end of the second phrase of the Stamitz Viola Concerto. 

In the first sixteenth notes leading into the C string, we use the sautillé technique to land softly and audibly on the string.

While doing this advanced bow stroke, tension will want to creep up into the shoulder. It is crucial to drop the shoulder and get a hanging sensation through the entire arm to bring out the warmth of the C string.

Left Hand

Core concepts

The first physical challenge that is noticeable when switching from violin to viola is the left-hand distance between fingers.

There are two core abilities to cultivate when playing viola. One is the ability to twist the left hand towards the fingerboard or instrument. The other is reaching downwards instead of reaching upwards with the ring and pinky finger.

The left hand should start perpendicular to the instrument. The more the hand twists towards the fingerboard, the easier the placement of the pinky will be. Think of widening your hand as it moves towards the fingerboard.

Shradieck book 1, page 1

The Shradieck School of Violin Technique is a great example to practice left-hand fundamentals. It starts on an open string covering an ascending and descending pattern, then moves through several variations. 

For the first page and a half, Shradieck moves through different patterns, but the initial pattern of the fingers stays the same throughout.

When first trying this exercise, finding a position for the thumb and the left-hand fingers may be difficult. The first challenge is putting all four fingers on one string at the same time comfortably. Be sure that the knuckles stay rounded.

Another consideration is the position of the thumb. 

If you imagine the right arm being the neck of the violin and set the right wrist on top of the left thumb, you’ll notice a lot of room for movement of the left hand. Keeping the neck of the viola in between the index and thumb may limit your flexibility and movement. 

Experiment with different thumb positions if you struggle to put all four fingers down with rounded knuckles.

Left-hand activity/Frame

While playing the first Shradieck line, actively lift the fingers individually. Avoid moving the wrist throughout. 

The concept of having a stable position of the hand and active fingers has been described by many pedagogues but is often called the left-hand frame. This frame has a consistent distance between the first and fourth fingers.

Active lifting

Actively lift the fingers, but avoid hammering down into the fingerboard. Practice lifting the fingers and allowing them to relax downward naturally. 

If you need more articulation, you may consider bringing the fingers down more actively. One of the risks of viola playing is injury of the arm tendons. A key reason for this is the tendency to grab into the string forcefully. The fourth finger will naturally be the weakest, so it may need more attention than the others. 

As you begin working on turning the hand and lifting the fingers, start with ten to fifteen minutes. If you feel fatigued in the hands and arms, stop and allow your body to rest to avoid injury.

Actively lift the fingers, but avoid hammering down into the fingerboard. Practice lifting the fingers and allowing them to relax downward naturally. If you need more articulation, you may consider bringing the fingers down more actively. 

One of the risks of viola playing is injury of the arm tendons. A key reason for this is the tendency to grab into the string forcefully. The fourth finger will naturally be the weakest, so it may need more attention than the others. As you begin working on turning the hand and lifting the fingers, start with ten to fifteen minutes. If you feel fatigued in the hands and arms, stop and allow your body to rest to avoid injury.

Reaching downwards

The initial reflex students may have is placing finger 1 and reaching for finger 4, creating a compromised fourth-finger position and left-hand frame. Instead, cultivate the ability to reach downwards rather than upwards. 

Start with the fourth finger and stable left-hand framework. Then, reach downward to find your first finger. This stretch is a more ergonomic way to find the finger position and will also help widen the hand toward the fingerboard.

Application in Repertoire

Dvořák “American” Quartet

The opening is a place for violists to shine. In the opening, catching the string and releasing the sound to make the C string speak is a challenge in third position. 

Then, there is a string crossing under a slur. Start with a relaxed shoulder in the right arm and hang on the C string. Maintain this contact as you move through the bow. Pay extra attention to how each string speaks and maintain consistency as you proceed through the string crossing. 

You can use the out-and-in technique to keep the sounding point on the bow. Ensure you play with enough sound to be heard over the ensemble.

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, 2nd movement

This is an excellent piece to think about sounding point, bow distribution, and vibrato. It starts with a slow tempo and several connected notes on an up-bow. 

You also have to be audible as a soloist over an orchestra. To be heard in this low register, we must use the concepts mentioned above. 

You can start farther from the sounding point and slowly move towards it to affect the dynamic intensity. You may also use a slower bow speed and wider vibrato.

Conclusion

There are differences between the violin and viola, but many of the fundamentals are related. 

The main difference is that violinists can get away with many habits that a violist cannot because of the sheer size of a viola. Violinists should try out playing viola unless it is physically impossible. 

It reinforces so many things that we find beneficial in violin playing, and it also opens the door to other musical opportunities. Playing viola gives another perspective about sound production, left-hand framework, and how to approach vibrato.

Did you learn something new?

Did you learn something new?

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Happy playing!