Hi all, I know this isn’t a super small section but I was wondering if anyone would share their fingerings for these passages? Thank you!

I have no idea if this is the right subreddit for this but oh well.

I used to play the viola when I was younger, but stopped because I didn’t find many pieces to play that I actually enjoyed(I also was not very good). I absolutely love how rich and deep the viola is compared to the violin but I love the ease of finding sheet music for violins. i really enjoy folk and bluegrass music and I would love to get back into playing an instrument again, but I am having a hard time deciding between sticking with the viola or starting over with the violin?

anyway, I would really appreciate any thoughts you may have!

Have an audition in just under three weeks and just got the music. It's not horrible, but I'm really struggling to come up with fingerings for the section within the blue markings.

edit: thanks for the help. I'd contemplated that fingering but wanted to make sure there wasn't a better way to do it. thanks!

Looking for some resources and hopefully some reviews - I've had the same bow since 2016 and would like to avoid replacing it... The hairs snapped when I drove up into the mountains from sea level 💀

I have a video youth orchestra audition coming up and I don't know what scales to choose that are technically hard as I want to get into the top orchestra. The requirements are:

Two Scales: play 1 major scale and 1 minor scale (melodic or harmonic).

• Students may choose to play 1-octave, 2-octave, or 3-octave scales depending on their skill level. Tempo is up to the student. Contrasting articulations/bowing/tonguing is preferred

For context I've played all the 3 octave scales memorized before but I think for the minor scales I haven't played them in melodic or harmonic yet. I plan to play one of them with spiccato and the other with slured 4 or 8 notes though I'm also up for any other suggestions.

Any help and advice is appreciated!

EDIT: after reading the comments I realized I should explain a bit more. So the main problem I'm having with picking a scale is that I can't really tell which ones are harder or easier besides like the difference between c major and b flat major. I don't really know how the "judges" will evaluate them.

(this is my first post so I'm not sure if I've done anything wrong)

So my violas varnish started chipping on the front face and i plan on getting it fixed up soon but im not sure wether it should be dealt with now or if its purely cosmetic and can be fixed in the next couple weeks, I just bought this viola and I’ve been seeing its starting to chip in some places, I assume its because Before I bought it it hadn’t been played for a while, but I’d like to hear your thoughts

(For context I am currently practising between 1-2 hours a day in preparation for my licentiate diploma/bachelors equivalent qualification)

For nearly the entire time I have been playing viola I have used Kun shoulder rests and they have generally been okay for me until recently. My viola is slightly above what a 4/4 violin would be and my Kun has been fine on it for about a year or so but stopped being fine around about 6 months to a year ago, when I readjusted it to be actually comfortable (I went from playing 30 minutes a day to on average 1hr 30 so became more aware of my discomfort so no I will not be adjusting it to how it was previously as that also caused me pain). In the past 6 months, the feet of my shoulder rest have been constantly at an angle (as pictured) and in the past month or so my shoulder rest has been constantly slipping off or slipping towards me when playing leading to me playing in increasingly uncomfortable positions. This has caused injuries to both myself and my viola, causing shoulder problems for me, and the varnish to wear down at the lowest point of my shoulder rest for my viola (something which will probably be very expensive and time consuming to fix). This is my second kun for this viola and both times they have had the same foot issue so I think I should probably get a different one. My requirements are:

Very flexible or relatively flat

Long body that covers most of, if not all of the underside of my viola

Attached at both sides (not one of those fancy ones that is attached next to the chin rest and is pulled in or out)

Very adjustable in terms of length, height etc and can go quite low.

I also live in the UK so options I can get here please! (And please do not recommend ones I can only get on amazon)

Thank you!

Edit: I have ordered multiple shoulder rests and will be returning the ones that don't work for me, will give reviews later in case it is helpful for anyone in the future!

Can someone please help me understand this peice. it’s gavotte in the suite for viola damore in f major written by christian petzold. Now, it says it starts on e, but everyone and i mean everyone is playing it as f. Someone said think of it as it were a treble clef, but then it would be a d. Can someone please just help me understand. i put the music below so maybe you can help me understand this better.

https://youtu.be/xf16rBs9U3Q?si=kEAnKnj32fQeZ8jS

Preparing Harold in Italy for CSO. I figured now is the time to stop using what I found on IMSLP.
What edition do yall use? Does the edition you use have rehearsal letters?

As someone who is coming from violin and who has a short pinky and chronic hand pain, I am looking for a smaller viola, but I know that it can be difficult to find one that still has a nice C string.

I am currently trying a 1950 15 1/4 Czech factory/workshop viola that has a surprisingly nice sound (good C string!), but they are asking 5500 USD, which I've been told is steep for something that's not handmade.

Accordingly, I had some questions:

(1) Is it realistic to find a 15 1/4 for less but that still sounds nice?

(2) How much does sound outweigh the "make" in these kinds of instruments for pricing/resale value?

(Apologies if this kind of post is not allowed, I read the rules and FAQ and realise this might be on the edge of the appraisal category)

I have a college orchestra audition in about a month, and am struggling to find a piece within my wheelhouse that I feel confident playing. For context, I played the viola for 7 years throughout middle/high school, then stopped for 4 years and just picked it back up a few weeks ago. I don’t have a private teacher, so I am attempting to prepare by myself. This is also the first audition I have ever done, so I am unsure of what to expect and what to aim for in my playing.

The requirements for audition are:
1) “Prepare a solo or orchestral excerpt of your choice; generally about five minutes or less of music. Solos could be pieces studied in private lessons, an all-state solo or standard repertoire for your instrument. The piece or excerpt should show your playing at its best.” (Accompaniment not necessary)
2) “Scales: two scales of your choice, three octaves if possible. String players should play one scale with spiccato bowing.” (I plan to play a three octave d melodic minor scale, and have yet to choose the other)

My biggest challenge has been deciding which piece to play for my audition. Specifically, how difficult of a piece I should play. I initially wanted to play something of Bach’s, but I quickly realized that would not be possible in such a short amount of time. I recently switched to playing Schumann’s Traumerei, which is significantly easier and shorter. I can recognize that this piece may not be enough for my audition, but I have struggled to find something in between these two that I like enough to want to play.

To make Traumerei a little bit more interesting, I tweaked some of the notes so the piece features both high and low octaves. However, I still worry that it isn’t “complicated enough” or long enough for my audition. I’ve attached the way I decided to arrange the piece (please ignore the hand-drawn eighth note bars, as the program I used wouldn’t let me connect them without a paid version 😒). I am hoping that using 4th and 5th position will help make my audition a little bit more impressive, but I don’t want those parts of the piece to completely overshadow the other, lower octaves if that makes sense.

Any advice or recommendations is welcomed!

In summary:
1) what can I expect in my audition?
2) is this piece complicated enough for my audition?
3) is this piece long enough?
4) how can I make it more interesting?

I've been sitting with my new viola for two hours trying to fix a weird buzzing noise, and nothing is working. I'm genuinely near tears. I have never used Reddit before, but here I am.

I just got a new rental viola the other day, and have started noticing a buzzing when I play forte, especially on open C and G, coming from the tailpiece area. The tailpiece is plastic. Through my struggle, I'm PRETTY sure I've identified the issue. I think the levers the fine tuners rest against are buzzing against the fine tuner screws themselves. I think it's mostly the G string, but that the neighboring strings are able to vibrate it as well. I see no open seams, and the chin rest seems fine. When I press up firmly on the lever from underneath the tailpiece, the sound stops, as well as when I completely remove the fine tuner. I can also kind of push the tailpiece down/maneuver it in a way that the buzzing is quieter, but I can't get it to stay that way. No matter how much the fine tuners are tightened, unless they are completely removed, the sound is still there. I don't know what to do.

I'm sure if I took it to a luthier they would be able to fix it in two minutes, but it's kind of a journey and I was just there to pick up the instrument, so I'd rather save the trip if possible. Perhaps the internet strangers on Reddit will have answers.

This question doesn’t really serve any purpose, i’m just interested in what others have to say: What is the consensus around the difficulty of the big three concertos? (Walton,Hindemith,Bartok.) I’m at a summer festival where most violists (in my age range of high school, most college students are playing contemporary works) seem to be working on Walton/Hindemith, though i’ve heard much more Walton. My question sort of sprouted after having conversations with non violists who majority think that in terms of difficulty it goes Walton -> Hindemith which is what I also thought before approaching more difficult rep, however now I feel like Hindemith -> Walton -> Bartok is more appropriate of a ranking. I sort of feel like people listen to Hindemith and automatically assume it’s harder because of how it sounds, however i’m working on it now and yes it’s hard but it also fits quite comfortably in the hand, which is why reactions like “Wow Hindemith before Walton?!” seem funny to me. Anyways that’s all, just wanted to see how Violists feel about the topic!

Hi! This is my first time playing a major work like this! Any thoughts on how I should approach this? If anyone who has played this has any fingerings and bowings, I would greatly appreciate if you could send me. This is my first time playing something so difficult, so I would appreciate all your help!!!

How can I do these harmonics. For me the first harmonics are really difficult because of shifting into 7-8 position on the c string.

I'm an beginner/intermediate violist with only experience from 6 years of middle and high school orchestra. I have an audition coming up in a month for my college orchestra and I'm sort of stumped on how to play some of these double/triple stops. A few like in measure 161 don't feel possible or at least quite impractical, and other double stops specifically in measure 165-166 I always struggle to get in tune due to the speed and what I feel like awkward finger shapes. I know to practice at a slower tempo but even then, it feels incredibly uncomfortable to play. It says to play it in unison but it doesn't seem practical at all, so I'm asking for either advice to play them or if it's a valid option to omit some of the double stops for possibly a cleaner audition. Thanks. I put the full excerpt for additional context.

I’m switching from violin to viola and I’m having a good time! I’d like to buy one but what are good names for violas. I’m currently borrowing an Andreas Eastman and love it! Any other good names I should know I’m about for a good intermediate student viola?

( I dont know if this fits the community guidelines😅 )

Im 19f and ive loved viola more than anything, my entire life. Growing up with no support anywhere, my viola and orchestras gave me a place to belong. Ive recently joined my universities orchestra, and everyone is so talented and skillful, with fancy teachers i was never able to afford, so much motivation and so much more knowledge than me. I need to practice my reaudition, but it's hard because I feel like I have no place in the orchestra. I was in the back row the last semester, and I know that everyone is important but it's really really hard to feel like it when there's 12 other violists who are all way more confident and learn way faster than me. I guess i just need to rant a bit, or see that other people feel out of place sometimes too. I know ive missed out on a lot, and theres a lot of things I need to learn, but it sucks feeling like I'm behind, not being able to play as fast or read music as fast. How do you guys find confidence in yourself as a musician?? I need to practice right now but I'm almost embarrassed of myself. :(

So I've been on the same set of strings for like maybe a year and half or more, which I know is way too long I just didn't feel like changing them. Anyway, a few weeks ago my C and G strings started to die and I decided I should really get a new set of strings. The problem is that I have no idea what was on my viola in the first place. I was thinking the D'Addario Kaplan Amo strings but I'm really not sure what will be best. I've been playing for 7 years, usually practice 8-9 hours a week on average, my viola is a 16" Richelieu, and I'm looking for a warmer mellow tone. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated :)

I’ve been using a chamois cloth to prevent sweat damage from my neck. My neck would get pretty sweaty occasionally and the chamois would get ever so slightly damp. I thought it was doing its job but I recently put the cloth in front of light and there seems to be brown residue on the instrument side area where the my neck would be. The cloth looks normal without light exposure but under light it looks like there has been varnish coming off. I attached the photos of my cloth. Is this a concerning amount of varnish if it is varnish at all? Could it be the material of the cloth? On a side note I’ve noticed chamois dampens the sound quite a bit so I would appreciate other material suggestions.

Edit: this cloth has been used for a little over a week since its last wash.

Does anyone have any tips on how I play the double stop part smoothly? (Obviously practice but anything else?) Everytime I try to play it, it sounds bad. Like a train horn😭

I’m considering if I want to learn this in the future and I have no idea how difficult it is or what the part looks like. I would really appreciate it if anyone has the part.

I’ve been consistently practicing four specific vibrato exercises for over a month now, but I’m struggling to see any tangible improvement. For reference, I am currently working on:
Rhythmic Oscillations: Starting with quarter notes and moving through eighths, triplets, and sixteenths to a metronome.
Harmonic Releases: A three-part drill involving plopping the finger, releasing into a harmonic, rolling the hand/fingers back into a harmonic, and finally, releasing the pressure as much as possible while maintaining a clear tone.
Despite this consistency, I haven't reached the level of flexibility I need. I have university symphony auditions coming up soon, and I’m feeling pretty defeated. I’m worried that if I don’t get my vibrato to a more professional standard, my chances of making the ensemble are slim. Has anyone else hit a similar plateau? Are there common "blind spots" in these types of drills that I might be missing, or perhaps a different approach to physical tension that I should consider? Any advice or perspective would be greatly appreciated.