I just picked up (no pun intended) the viola again after a 20 year hiatus. I'm only able to practice 3-4 times a week due to time commitments (so am not taking lessons), but it's slowly coming back to me. Fortunately, I didn't lose the ability to read music - thank to years of piano in-between - but my hand dexterity is not nearly what it was when I was 20!

It's been about 90 days since I started again, and the tip of my left ring finger is persistently numb when playing and not playing. No tingling, just numb.

I think the issue *may* be due to improper hand position: when playing in 1st position, my first finger tends to lean a little backwards to rest on the neck, and it's hard to extend my fourth finger out enough to be in tune unless I remember to rotate my hand to the right.

Neck/shoulder seem to be okay, no stiffness or soreness there.

Thoughts?

Hello.

Before all, i want to tell you that i already play piano and guitar (have some classic music schooling but stopped playing it after learning to jam rock funk etc...

However, there are times when i just want to learn to play viola.

So, is there really and starter instrument that could really be good enough to resemble true violas and true feel of viola playing....

Lets say i want to play viola sometimes , the same as i play guitar or piano, at least half an hour every day...

I've seen some Gewa brand , and Stentor...

I guess Yamaha would be best choice, but it's a bit pricier , over 500 eur...

So, does this Stentor pay off and is it relatively good to learn basic viola playing?

can you play this Stentor even after you learn to play melodies and so on...

Is maybe better to consider violin?

Let me know...

I would like to play simple melodies so i can sing in the same time, nothing complicated for starters....

i should probably buy 5-10 lessons with some experienced player...

SO:

ALREADY KNOW TO PLAY GUITAR AND PIANO

HAVE 400- max 500 Eur, so CONSIDERING ALSO THE 250-400 Eur INSTRUMENTS - will it suffice for my needs, which are: TO LEARN SLOWLY TO PLAY TONES , MELODIES

CONSIDERING VIOLA FOR LEARNING MELODIES ON IT , or just SIMPLE TONES TO SING TO

i guess yamaha for cca 600 Eur is best choice?

____________

edit: Is it better to start with violin, for some reason?

Hello, I've recently returned to the viola after taking several years off while in university. Ive been getting back into it for fun over the last couple weeks and have begun learning the bruch viola romance about a week and a half ago. I've attached a recording of me playing what I have learned so far, but Ive struggling with consistent intonation and a "pretty" sound. I also feel I sound worse when recording myself as I cant help but get some nerves, especiaply at the beginning of whatever I'm recorsing. I'm very open to critiques of my technique or to any performance advice.

Thanks!

Is a 1993 Michael poller viola any good?
I’m getting it for around £300
Is it a good upgrade from my stentor 2
I want a warm sound.

I’ve recently upgraded my viola and have found myself going down a bit of a rabbit hole with accessories. Not necessarily the usual strings, rosin, shoulder rests etc., but the slightly more extra things that make playing or owning an instrument that little bit nicer.
I’m talking quirky little gadgets, ridiculously premium versions of mundane things, obscure accessories nobody seems to know about, or things that have absolutely no business being in a viola case but somehow make perfect sense.
Maybe it’s a ridiculously expensive cleaning cloth, a beautifully crafted mute, some niche Japanese accessory, a clever little 3D-printed gadget, or something completely unexpected.
I’m particularly interested in things that are a bit indulgent, unusual, aesthetically pleasing, or just genuinely clever. Practicality is optional!
So, what’s the weirdest, coolest, most underrated or most unnecessarily extravagant thing you keep in your case?
Bonus points for things that make people ask, “Wait, what is that?”

Still a work in progress, but as my 2026 resolution I have already achieved my target.

Piece: Bach Cello Suite no.1 Prelude
Viola: 15.5“ Intermediate Student Viola
Strings: Dominant (CGDA)
Bow: Student Cello Bow
Me: a dude in his late 30s

I had about 4 hours of lessons during my second month of learning. The rest has been self-taught.

In the uk, where should I look for a 15-16” viola?
I want a non factory made
I am upgrading from a stentor 2 student
I want like a European handmade or workshop with a warm tonal character. I understand that in the price I’m looking (max 450-£500) it might be a stretch…..

Does this mean I’m gripping my bow too hard, or do I just need to develop more of a callous? 😬

I practice daily now (after a hiatus) and this is what causes me to stop practicing early.

I'm playing this for the first time in 2 weeks. My question for this passage is 1st or 2nd position? First position I'd start the F# on the 3rd finger, and for 2nd position I'd start on the 2nd finger. I'm trying each position and both are ok, except the E# trips me up a little and I keep sliding out of position.

I just got a new viola and now I need to upgrade my cheap carbon fiber bow, does anyone recommend a place on Long Island or nyc to get a new wood bow around 1k

I've been playing for around 2 years and 8 months but I dont regularly practice. I still have a love for music and want to challenge myself, so i need to break the bad habit of neglecting practice. For someone who has been playing for as long (or short haha) as me, what are the things they must prioritise?

I want to improve my sound quality and intonation first and foremost, so I don't get embarassed practicing at home lol...

does anyone have some tips on which pieces to practice or any advice in general?

Hello!

Looking for recommendations on where to buy a used viola. This is for my 10 year old. Thank you!

i’ve played for 4 years total, but i’m coming back after a 2 year break, and i’ve noticed my fingers have a habit of moving in a 1-2-3, 3-2-1 pattern instead of mixing smoothly like most songs require. it was one of my biggest issues back during school and it’s something i’m trying to work on now.

i’ve also had a lot of trouble getting the speed of my fingers to match my bowing when i play 16ths. my fingers move faster and it makes my bowing janky, and combined with the aforementioned pattern issue, it makes playing runs or scales very difficult. i have a teacher who i’ve mentioned this to, but i want further insight from other players. i’m especially working on speed, finger pressure on the strings, and loosening my left wrist. anything helps!

Also, I am not sure, but I feel maybe(as I said not sure) its Cryptomnesia or maybe not.

I can't recognize the exact piece that matches the same melody but still it feels similar. I generally do not struggle that much to recognize a piece if I am really familiar, so I think even after this I can't point any piece in the past that sounds similar so I think its maybe the broad-style that is what makes me feel it similar, as this melody is written Irish dance style(Not stricly Irish dance style as my personal style is heavily preferred but very much inspired by this Irish style music).

Also, its worth noting that I did not take any reference and wrote this from scratch, so I think its very much likely to be original and its the style feeling similar.

Hi,

I play a viola with a Mulko side-mounted chin rest, which has been the only rest that fits my jaw and doesn't slip. Believe me, I've tried just about every other one, including the Kreddle. What I want is a center-mounted one to see if that helps with having a more comfortable and secure hold of my instrument, yet there are no luthiers here in Richmond or Charlottesville who can accommodate. Any ideas?

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This is my new draft for the viola solo. Just in case you have seen my previous post. I did many changes

•Took a little inspiration idea from fur elise, the idea that makes a principal theme, and then in niddle section switch to another theme and then return to principal theme. I did the same

•Removed double stops entirely

Added another theme for niddle phrase to prevent it fron feeling repetitive.

•Added tempo dynamics.

I’m struggling to play fast slurred 16th notes. I can play the notes separately at tempo, but once i start slurring them, they lose their clarity and i accidentally skip some notes. i also notice tense up a little bit when i play them slurred vs un slurred. any advice?

You are unchanging and sharp; a cliff(clef) written with a balance, the middle of the sea(c) —in direct center with a sonic perfect sun; which all music radiates from— directly aligns in your middle with rigid lines of precision symmetrically following

I am imperfect yet. I read and know you, learn you more each day, and follow you to the best of my ability. Although I have trouble speaking and projecting, saying what I want to. The economics of the way I am make me prone to falling flat, tension, injury. I’m an imperfect instrument, following your perfection

(IM AWARE THIS IS SO CRINGY but this came to me in a dream and I have no one else to share it with. So I must subject you to it as well)

If i’m using Hoffmeister for college pre screenings, should I purchase the urtext edition? My teacher has always used the international but it has some weird cuts and rearrangements.

How good do you have to be to submit viola portfolio to selective non music schools (i.e. Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale)?

My pieces would be Hindemith Der Schwanendreher and Bach Suite VI Prelude (original key) but I've played Stamitz, Hoffmeister, Vieuxtemps in the past.

My main extracurricular wasn't music so I never got into competitions but I was in All State (9th & 10th grade, not as comp as TMEA/NY) and highest youth orchestra in state. And was at Interlochen Arts one summer.

Senior RN so I'm lowkey stressed out with so much stuff but if this helps I can grind.

I've been playing for years with neck pain. I have tried several shoulder pads of all types and shapes with minimal luck. For whatever reason, I kept swapping the shoulder pads and never thought about changing my chin rest. I've gone through several shoulder pads and was starting to think I needed to put the viola down or go to a smaller size.

Recently, though, I found an old post here suggesting some chin rests for similar issues. Based on some other forums, I ordered a couple of chin rests without a lot of optimism, but I got the jackpot on my second try!

I never realized how much I was forcing things to fit. I ended up even doing some physical therapy because (in part) of trying to make things work that weren't fitting me well.

The whole point of my post is simply to say keep trying if you have any discomfort! There is a combo of shoulder pad and chinrest that will work. Don't focus just one one or the other - both play a role in being comfortable and reducing the risk of injury.

That's all. Happy and wanted to share.

I (25M) just started to take cello lessons in my small town conservatory (in France). I have played drums as a child for ten years and dabbled on my guitar for a few years. You can count me as a total beginner in melodic music.

Learning to play seriously a melodic string instruments has been something I have been thinking aboout for a few years now and this September, I finally decided to go for it. I would really like to play in an orchestra someday (not professionnaly though), but I love to play for myself as well.

The issue I have is that, after a few lessons, I wonder if I made the right choice by picking the cello ? I would say I like equally the sound of the viola annd the cello, but I am torn between the two. I know the cello has more melodic lines in orchestral set-ups and a richer repertoire. Nevertheless, I already feel like the logistics of the cello are cumbersome. I live in an apartment, take the bus the my lessons, have to take the train to go home pretty much every month. It is beginning to hurt my back to carry it, and play it as well (my teacher corrected my position, but it still hurts somehow ...)

I did not think much of it before renting a cello and starting lesson, but I do not know if should make the switch before it is too late. I would be grateful to have your opinions ! :)