Violas coming out of my ears
Right now I have four violas in my house: mine, a big 17-incher made by Michele Ashley and two made by Douglas Cox (one 16 5/8″, the other 16 7/8″).
This whole viola-buying business is so hard. I’ve tried many very nice instruments, but it’s hard to remember the sound of them all over the months I’ve been doing this. Do I like these more than the Wallin viola I tried before Christmas? That one definitely had a lovely sound, and the only thing I thought was missing a little bit of bite, of clarity and penetration. These violas I’m trying now all seem to be very clear and have good projection, but are they a little bright sounding?
I did some quartet sight-reading yesterday with the Ashley viola, and it did a fine job. When I stepped on the gas, it really responded. In general, it seems to respond very easily and quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get a good sound.
Tomorrow I have a quartet rehearsal (different people than the sight-reading yesterday). I haven’t decided which Cox viola to try out then. The larger one recently had its front plate replaced (the old one was apparently damaged beyond repair in an accident), and Mr. Cox said it needed playing in. It has a big sound, but it struck me as sounding slightly metallic. Not sure if that’s due to the new front, new strings (Evah Pirazzi), or whether it’s just part of its sound. The smaller Cox viola sounds slightly more muted under the ear in comparison, but it has a darker tone, which I like.
January 19th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Evah Pirazzi strings are nice, but they do sound slightly metallic. It’s always difficult to find the perfect instrument for you, but when you find it, you’ll just know!
I like your blog.
January 20th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Thanks Suzanne. Well, I hope I’ll just know. So far, I seem to keep finding nicer and nicer violas, so I suppose it hasn’t hurt to keep looking.
January 22nd, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Do you have a particular piece of music you play that best helps you judge the qualities of the violas you are testing?
January 22nd, 2006 at 9:42 pm
I try to play a variety of pieces, to cover different ranges of the instrument (some instruments have a lovely C string but their A string is awful, for example) and to see how easy it is to play fast passages and double stops. Typically I’ll play some Bach (cello suites), something technically challenging (like parts of the Bartok viola concerto), something to hear how the viola sings (like Schubert’s “Arpeggione” sonata), and whatever else pops into my head. I’ve been playing some etudes lately, too, since they’re typically the most challenging and tiring music I play, and help me determine if the instrument makes things harder or easier for me.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:14 pm
I love the Bartok viola concerto. Thanks to BB for putting the viola in the spotlight.
June 2nd, 2006 at 2:08 am
Ah… the trying out instruments stuff is hard. I did it this summer and I ended up with a new violin (2005) and I love it. My violin professor actually told me recently that he didn’t think I would need to get a different one for a very long time. That my violin would probably last me through my professional life. That was a big comfort.
I think you just know when it’s the right one. I knew mine was good because the sound of it almost made my family cry. (In a good way) I also felt really comfortable. Good luck!