Adding viola

[Pippap1]

Hi all, I have DC2 (10) who plays violin since 6. Recently he started getting interested in viola.

If he starts playing viola, will he also need do studies such as Kreutzer, Sevcik, Wolfahrt etc as well as violin? Or he can just stick to scale and pieces as he has already known those techniques through violin?

I would love him to try viola but I am just concerning that he may not have enough time to practice two instruments if he needs the same efforts for viola with violin.

It would be great if you give me some advise.

Hi Pipp! My violinist DD recently picked up viola after enjoying trying it out on a music course. A few weeks after picking it up, with no proper lessons, she auditioned on it as a second instrument for one of the JD's. She got a place, and since September has been studying violin and viola at the JD , both with the same teacher. As yet, he hasn't given her any viola specific scales or studies - and often uses her viola lesson time to do more violin! Even so, she is now playing pieces not far off the standard of her violin pieces. So in our experience, your DS won't need to put in the same efforts on both instruments - as you'd expect, most of the technique is the same!

As DD's teacher said, it is great for opening doors to higher level ensembles and JD's that are very competitive on violin. She will carry on with it in the background for that reason. Plus it's quite fun being in the thick of the harmony!!

There's a huge amount of transfer between the two, so violin studies will benefit viola and vice versa. He may want to do some kind of exercise on viola too to focus the sound - if he's doing Kreutzer etc sounds like he's quite serious? Not that it can't be done with scales and pieces but studies are designed to do the work faster so kind of why wouldn't you? You can just play violin Kreutzer on viola so not even any extra work learning them.

It depends how much viola he wants to play too. For a bit of orchestra busking no need, if he wants to play solos it would pay to optimise contact point, bow handling and vibrato for viola at least. (And if he's having separate lessons it's fairly inevitable teacher will ask for studies.)

Thank you very for helpful comments.

DS is not very serious to play music and but recently suddenly highly motivated. He says he would love to try viola as his second instrument so that he can andition junior orchestra etc as violin is highly competitive.

I will let him try viola! It sounds he can have lots of benefits from violin.

Thank you very much!

DD took up the viola after quite a few years on the piano and the major shock for her was adjusting to reading C clef.

Hi CoteDAzur, thank you for your comment. That’s my concert, too. Has your DD use particular textbooks to study c clef or did she just play pieces to learn?

She takes lessons from the viola teacher at the Conservatoire. I don't think it would have been possible for her to go from piano to viola without one.

I see, thank you. DS also would love to get in JD and it is one of the reason why he is willing to start viola as getting a place st JD as a violinist seems to be so competitive.
I hope we can find a good viola teacher as his current violin teacher does not offer viola lesson.

@Pippap1 the transition to C clef is not too bad for a violinist (although DD finds it more natural than I do!!). DD explained to me it's just like reading in third position to her so she finds it easy. I can see it would be tricky for a pianist though, without that prior fingering knowledge....

There's a great book actually:

www.musicroom.com/product-detail/product62748/variant62748/quick-change-solo-viola/

Thank you folkmama, I just ordered it