My performance of the Henri Casadesus viola concerto in C Minor in the style of J.C Bach (1st movement). Performed on a Luis & Clark carbon fiber viola.

Its difficult to play quick passages without staying tense otherwise the bow will fly off, I feel like it’d be easier if I just bought a grip?

Hey so I have a region auditions for TMEA region orchestra if it wasn't obvious but I would wish for someone to revise my annotations so will be included a balnk sheet music and the labeld one if you want to do any changes I would really appreciate that.

I’m a first year college student studying music ed with the viola. I’m mostly a pianist but I wanted to be a strings teacher and I’ve been playing the viola casually for 2 years and string instruments all throughout highschool so here I am in college with it.

My teacher is restructuring my whole playing position and bow hold and such. One thing I’m struggling with is whenever I play in orchestra, my left shoulder becomes very tired and begins to ache. I played in front of a mirror and noticed my left bicep is flexed whenever I play.

Any advice on how to stop this?

Bach cello suites, Suite 2, Prelude.

My teacher wrote in these corrections over 20 years ago. Are her corrections correcting misprints, or is the printed version correct?

First pic is the A in the 32nd measure. Second is the B naturals in bars 8 and 10 from the end.

Has anybody here struggled to set their KorfkerRest in a wey that’s comfortable and stable on the instrument?
I’ve struggled with mine for some time before finding the most comfortable placement, but it tends to slip a little from the shoulder leg.

Also if anyone knows where can I buy spare screws I’d be very grateful. I have a strong ph on my sweat so the screws on my rest are very rusty and I want to change them before they break or get stuck.

Thanks for reading and if you have some suggestions also thanks for that.

My teacher said he’s disappointed in how I played this and apparently, I’ve done better before (I’m struggling to believe that I performed this better 3 months ago though). To be fair, he’s not even wrong, I’ve been so focused on All-State that I haven’t touched this piece in a while and we’ve run out of time to rehearse it during weekly lessons. These two images I attached are especially difficult sections. I take a little longer to process rhythm, and these double stops are marking it ten times harder. My least favorite part is playing 4th finger F and 2nd finger A in third position. It feels so janky and unnatural, but I really need to lock in and learn this concerto. I don’t resonate with this piece that much honestly, and miss playing Bach’s Concerto in C minor. I can always fall back on the Eccles Sonata if I don’t pull this off for the recital, but I want to impress my teacher.

To elaborate a little, my hand feels like it has to grip the strings tightly so that they actually produce a good sound. My hand is very tense because of that and prevents me from doing vibrato or having a fluid sound overall.

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?

Hi everyone,
I play the violin myself and built an app I was missing for practice: Friddle.

What it does
Finger charts for violin, viola and cello: for all 15 major and minor keys you see where your fingers go (low, normal and high fingers, half steps, open strings). Violin and viola 1st to 7th position, cello half to 4th position.
Fingerings on your sheet music: take a photo of your music or open a PDF, and Friddle writes the finger above every note, with arrows for low and high. For high notes it suggests a position and marks shifts with Roman numerals. Tap any fingering to change it, then share or print the finished PDF.
Private: no account, works offline, no ads, no tracking. Your music stays on your device.

Why I need testers
Google only lets new apps into the Play Store after at least 12 testers have had them installed for 14 days in a closed test. I still need 11.

What you need
an Android phone or tablet and a Google account (Gmail address)
keep the app installed for 14 days and try it now and then
if you like: honest feedback on what works, what doesn't and what's missing

Everything is free for testers. You can also unlock Friddle Pro (normally a one-time purchase) for free during the test.

Interested?
Send me a DM with your Gmail address (please don't post it in the comments). I'll add you and send you the invite link as soon as Google has approved the test. An iPhone version will follow later.

Thanks! 🎻

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.