Actually, there`s quite a bit of viola music that isn`t in the public eye...

...someone needs to get out there and dust it off and play it...

Hi! My name is Jacob and I`ve played the viola for about three years now and i`m already practicing the Atlanta Philharmonic! Well, I`ve noticed that most orchestra teachers are insrtumental discriminative towards violas. I`ve also noticed that many arrangers/composers really don`t like us violists.
Here`s a fun fact about violas that covinced me to play it in the first place. It is that around the 16th century the viola was first brought into the actual orchestrs/symphony. The viola wasn`t there before because it was considered to elegant, to beautiful to every be put up against the other instruments. Composers and conducters always thought that if the viola was ever to be put into an orchestra/symphony that it would outshine all the other sounds.
Another thing is that the viola is HUGE in Japan!

hello =)

i`ve played viola since i was nine years old, but had abit of a tiff with my teacher when i was fourteen and quit playing (stupid i know). i picked it up again when i was 16 and now i`m 20 and really enjoy playing again.
i don`t really get all the viola jokes because we play alot of transposed music that was originally for violin or cello or even piano. but i have to agree, there`s not alot of music that you get to hear that was souly for the viola which is a pity concidering it`s a very beautiful instrument. the one thing that does really tick me off is when you have to do a grade, violin`s have the AMEB books with pieces that are for the grade that being learned. but with viola, you have go out of your way to get the pieces required. baring in mind you have to get the right editions which means if you`ve got list A, B, C and D plus extra list you end up buying 4-5 books with accompaniments which isn`t cheap....

VIOLA PRIDE!!!!!!!!
The viola is the best instrument in da world, if anyone thinks otherwise; you need to pull the bow ot of your ass.

Hello!!! I am a viola. I`ve been playing seven years now! Whoot! I don`t know why more people choose violin. The stupid E string always bothers me. Anyways, go VIOLAS!!!!!

I just found out that hardly anyone plays viola, but I just started and i LUV it! I wanna get really good

for many years I felt that violas were completely underrated and needed to be the largest and most important section in the orchestra. I have actually changed my mind. We are a vital puzzle piece in the group, along with the bassoons, timpani, french horns, and, yes, the violins. I wish that violists would stop grousing about not getting the melody and play what they have proudly, as it as important to the final product as the violin line(with notable excptions granted for ANYTHING by Haydn or Johann Strauss *shudder*).

Sorry, unimaginative viola lines were due to past composers dealing with bad violists ( notice the `cellos get better parts ). Now that there are many good violist, we need more parts!
I`ll always stand up for the viola cause

I think the reason for this is because people just prefer the violin. They know what it is and don`t think twice about playing the viola. I play the viola myself along with 5 others in my school and when you look at the other groups they just over populate us. In the wichita youth symphony there are only 10 violas, but the other groups have at least 30-50 people in them. That`s what I think.

From,
Padraic

well so far when i started playing the viola in 5th grade, it was only me and one of my friends i dragged into it, year after that, it was still just the 2 of us, 7th grade- 5 violists, 8th- still 5 lol, 9th- 10 ppl, and now im in 10th grade and im pretty sure we have 9 violists in there, but anyways if we got more music that gave more attention to the violas more ppl would be interested because when most ppl want to start playing a classical instrument they think right to that one guy playing an ultra fast, cool sounding violin solo and totally tune out the rest of the symphony.

well, hopefully in the time to come we see more and more violists out there

Im a guy and i absolutely love my viola because it just makes a perfect sound. I think that there should be a lot more viola players because I think that the viola is one of the most major parts of the orchestra. I consider my schools orchestra preety lucky because we have about 15-18 violas including me.

I`ve never figured out why there were so few of us. My university had 5, but 2 recently graduated ... I went in to fill in the "wide" gap. It`s kind of neat, though - viola players are somewhat sought after, I can sort of see why - violin is so overrated :-)

I am another viola player and yes I do feel under apperciated. In orchestra we get into arguements with the violinist about who`s better and then we always just say that we have a website, www.viola.com, and I know the violins can`t say that. That usually shuts them up. And there are way to many jokes out there bashing us so it does get me upset. But to all you viola players out there I am grateful you care about the best instrument in the world! Unlike my friend who bashes me cause she switched to cello and tells me how the viola sucks. But everyone, Fight the Power!

I`m a violist too! I`m in 7th grade and i`ve been playing since 3rd grade. I`m there are only two violist in 7th grade, i`m fist, the other girl only played since 4th grade. i LOVE viola!

Pretty unbelievable the number of violas in each of my orchestras.


Local orchestra - maybe 50 players, 4 violas
Regional Orchestra - maybe 60 odd players, 3 violas
English Schools` Orchestra - 90 players, 12 violas

English Schools` is one of these holiday (?vacation) time course based orchestras. Quite funny, after having to competing to make enough sound all year, 12 violas make a pretty massive one!