Violin vs. Viola Playing the Same Pieces 

Both instruments are beautiful in their own way, but viola will always have my heart. 😍

I can't put my finger on it, but I feel that the viola has a more thick tone than the violin. I never thought I'd say this but as a part of violin gang, I am now compelled to play viola lol

Viola is truly underrated.

As a violist reading these comments- I am so happy that viola is finally not slandered 😁

Awesome playing. I personally prefer Viola, it has a more mellow, darker and rounded tone, while Violin is more piercing and can get kinda scratchy sounding. Both are great but I preffer the Viola. Thank you for the showcase!

The viola sounds much richer and thicker. Like the difference between milk and cream. Just beautiful.

A year ago I watched this video and as a member of violin gang I realized how warm and rich the tone of the viola is. Proud to say im a violist of...two weeks!

As both a violin and viola player, I've always felt that playing both was very similar and yet very different... Making the strings resonate correctly depending on the instrument requires lots of adjustments, some major, and some very small and yet essential! Congrats on showing how those two beautiful instruments sound!

Viola all the way! Sincerely, a cellist.

As a violinist who not long ago started learning the viola, and fell in love with its voice, it always feels like I'm sort of cheating on my wife.. but I don't think I am going to stop anytime soon ;)

Listening to them back to back shows the violins more chirpy almost overtone nature vs the viola with it's more rounded and softer notes, found out I prefer the viola more today

You play both brilliantly, but the viola does each piece with more gravitas. Sibelius is awesome on viola.

fit into society: violin be happy: viola 🎻💖

I like both, but I have to say the viola is warmer and I'd enjoy listening to it for longer periods of time.

I’m a violinist of 18 years now and I absolutely love the viola!

I loved this! Whenever I see violin-viola comparison videos, they always have the violin example be some difficult, classical piece then the viola comparison a completely different piece, style, techniques, tone, and note range so you don’t even know the difference because how could you compare the instruments using two different overall styles instead of what the same piece would sound on two different instruments.

The best way I can explain it to me is the Viola is September-December; and the Violin is January - April. Both are necessary and special in it own way.

Both are great instruments , I am glad I chose viola though.

i started a viola gang at my school

I play Violin, Viola, and Cello. I started with Violin as a child... the violin feels empty, shrill, lacking resonance. The Cello feels thick, bassy, and thunderous. The Viola is perfection- smooth, warm, dark, resonant, expressive.

Apparently the viola is the wrong size for the sound that it makes, but comparing it with the violin that really doesn't seem to matter at all. The viola gets it done!

this is such a treat for composers - you can hear the difference in timbre as you go through the different ranges of each instrument. Awesome!

These comparisons are so enlightening about the different character of violin and viola. You had beautiful resonance on the violin as well! I especially loved the Sibelious, on both instruments! Though I have been playing viola for over 30 years, I had never thought about the difference to violins. Only a few years ago, when I contacted a Russian violin teacher because of a technical problem, I learned about it. Her first comment was: "You don't have much resonance in your play!" I thought, what is that? And then she taught me how to look for resonance in each note and the different character of notes that don't have resonance. That reminds me, I should take the listening for resonance back into my warm ups.

You play both instruments beautifully. I enjoyed hearing the two compared using the same pieces. I loved Sibelius on the viola, by the way!

I might be biased being a Violist but I think it's so much richer and has a real deep tone compared to the Violin. The Viola just calls to me😊I feel it in my bones🥰

the viola has such a warm tone

Viola King you are a great musician of both instruments. I wish my fingers were as long as yours, especially on the high positions on my viola.

I played viola in middle school it's my heart something drew me to it. Over all others

Thank you for uploading this!! I love both instruments, but viola has an undeniable richness, depth and soul that the violin doesn't quite grasp (for me).

Saw you in concert today. Thank you very much. You’re talent soared my soul to great hieghts. I felt like the concert was a gift from The Lord. I wish you a happy and healthy life

As a child I played violin but this makes me wanna play the viola. God they both sound so beautiful

Both beautiful, but something wonderfully melancholy about the viola.

This is going to be so useful to all the people deciding which to play!!!

Gorgeous. I'm a violinist but I love the tone of the viola best.

Ok have just seen the answer to my earlier question. Size of viola in your video is 16.75 inches, which is a cracking 42.5 cm. Many amateur violists with normal sized arms and hands cannot comfortably manage instruments larger than 41 or 41.5 cm. But we still get the deep rich tone of the viola. On cheap instruments the C string sounds dry and "woody", while a good string on a good instrument sounds gorgeous.

this is amazing! i’m now sending this to everyone who asks me “what’s the difference?” (i’m a violist)

*is currently falling in love with her instrument again*

I play the double bass, and as I’m researching other string instruments, both the violin and viola have such a beautiful touch to them and are amazing to listen to when done beautifully, yay

Viola Sibelius is gorgeous.

Your Hindemith sounds so good! 🥰 I love that piece. Playing it on violin points to just how Hindemith wrote anachronistically to the viola and it's unique color.

Master performance

i think viola can express 'Liebesleid' better than violin

This music you played is very Beautiful, its pure enjoyment for me. thank you so much, i gave this a thumbs up like. Subcriber Laura in Liverpool UK.

okay now I'm more than leaning to viola almost decided

Such a cool video omg

Liebeslied on viola > Liebeslied on violin

I am viola gang but because of my short fingers I have to play a 14 inch viola, so I don't even get to enjoy the differences in tone and character. But at least I don't have to burst my eardrums with that E string! ;-)

Это нормально, что я как скрипач с дипломом музыкального колледжа, хочу стать альтистом??? Это очень красиво 😍❤

The viola doesn’t only appeal to my ears. But also my spine.

Nice

I love the viola and violin equally tbh. They both have their perks. Both are so beautiful and you play them brilliantly. Alot of talent you have.

You see, the only problem with the violin is that it's not a viola. The viola's sound is just so much more pleasant....

I have always prefered the viola, its sound melts my heart... the violin is to high pitched that i cant listen to much it can be unbearable sometimes...I personaly think that the viola is the best instrument of a symphony orchestra

Listen, I may be a violist, BUT, Hindemith 4 didn't sound that bad on violin. Anyway, great video. Walton Viola Concerto on violin was cursed. I want to hear your performance of the Vieuxtemps Elegie in F Minor sometime; it's the piece I'm learning now.

Now do a video comparing viola vs violin, but playing some of John Cale’s viola parts from the first two Velvet Underground albums!? I actually sought out vids comparing viola to violin specifically bc I was imagining what the songs would sound like if he was playing violin. I’m probably the only person who watched this video thinking of something like this, and I realize that’s probably not something that would appeal to your general audience, but I still want someone to do it! Either way, I quite enjoyed this, and it gives me enough of an idea to know that I prefer viola to violin (granted, I’m not just basing that on this sole video), as beautiful as they both are. 🙏

He makes it look easy, but it takes years to get just ok and he is way more than just ok.

I tell my music teacher buy one violin to me.😂😂😂

I never really got greatly excited over Beethoven Sonatas, but the Spring sounded so much nicer on the viola. If I got out the set (of 10, my Grandmothers old music & I'm not young) I'd be reading it like a violin & undoing my alto clef discipline. 😉 Thanks for doing these. It opens up thinking on what else can be played on the viola. Of course there are many cello pieces we could steal for viola. 😊 Going to viola though becomes more of a challenge in higher positions etc & can create an issue in the wrist reaching around much more than on a violin (I needed surgery in the past because of this).

all of you loving violas in the comment section……where are y’all in real life

Im a violinist, but i love so much the tone of the viola, i wish i could learn to play the viola aswell!❤

Thank you! I learned a lot

2:18 with 3:07 precise perception

El violin se mucho mas comodo pero el sonido de la viola es mas agradable yo personalmente tocaria una viola que sea del tamaño del violín de 15 pulgadas , gracias por la demostracion toca execelente felicitaciones se notan las horas dedicadas 👍

Perfect instruments violín and viola ❤❤❤❤

thanks for your video!

Thank you for this beautiful comparison video. To me the violin sounds chirpy and joyful like a girl whilst the viola sounds more nostalgic and thoughtful like that girl has matured. Maybe it's just me… 🤷🏻‍♀️

I got it, THE SIZE DOES MATTER

I heard from viola player is it true that when we play fast piece on viola that instrument will delay the note?

thank you very much!

i tried hard for plying violin but my yeti size finger not approved. i believe cello is best but size is matter! hello gorgeous viola :)

Subscribed! Great video

I love how a viola sounds, but I just can't get used to the size and the heavier feel while playing. So the feeling of lighter playing always draws me back to the violin. But I have a 14 " viola for fun ;)

Very cool! How much did you shift the notes between instruments? A full octave, or...?

Do you have notes for the viola transcriptions?

viola has much warmer sound

I prefer the violo by far, and it's much close to the human voice.

I came to these comments looking for a war but I found people getting along pretty well surprisingly Viola gang

total random request but you should play hubay’s morceau de concert for viola, its literally so good

❤them both

6:35 Beethoven Violin Sonata "Spring" on Viola had a more striking difference for me. :)

spring sonata on the viola made me eargasm

Sound warmer on the Viola. :)

Voila is the first one you can tell by size but with sound I can't tell at all

The violin seems shrill compared to a viola. The viola obviously has a lower tonal range, but i didnt realize the difference was this wide.

viola’s deeper in tone and resonant to the musician. Viola’s better playing somberly music than the violin. Violin’s for excitement and angelical pieces. Viola can be played with the exact same string tension as violin (heresy, but doable).

The Spring Sonata is actually good on the viola.

Yup! Still prefer viola

So which one is which?

I really like the viola but my heart is set on the violin

sibelius was so good 😮

There are 5 String Violins & 5 String Violas tuned the same way (C, G, D, A, E) but there's a difference in tone between the 2:ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EbdgPYSoisc.html

I started playing violin at 8, and while it is a beautiful instrument, I fell in love with the viola. If it were not for viola, I would have stopped playing.

in first thank you for playing... your great musician. For instrument , Viola or Violin Its like 2 great racing cyclist......a moumtain climber vs a sprimter... .great in a special register of play !!! But for me Viola isnt an "underviolin " viola have his proper qualities....in this video we can constate beauty of both

Just a question ..do you use the treble clef for both instruments or alto for viola for this music?

I learned viola in school but sometimes kinda wanted to learn violin cuz of alot of the solos they get but at same time i never liked being in the spotlight...it makes me feel uncomfortable and like sounds from both instruments

Thanks very much for the great comparison. In my opinion there is no "better" here. It's like saying the color green is prettier than the color blue. No, they are just different. It's such a subjective analysis. I prefer the sound of the violin. I also play a five string violin on a standard Stradivarius pattern body. The fifth string is the C of the viola. It isn't as resonant as the C on a 16 inch viola, but it rings quite nicely with good volume and balance between the strings. However, the C string still sounds like a violin. The timbre is different. Try comparing a 5 string viola with a 5 string violin. You are playing the same notes, but the difference is quite noticeable. I've come to really love the sound of the G and C strings on the five string violin. For me, it's both the color green AND the color blue.

I learned Violin as a child and now after 30 years i give away my hundres years old 7/8 Violin because its too small for me. So now: should i buy a Violin foe the Money or a Viola? I really Love the deeper parts and the voluminous Sound of your Viola way more that the Violin. Can i learn the Viola as an adult after playing Violin as a child or is IT to difficult?

What is this viola? If you dont mind sharing :D

This video made me decide to pick up viola instead of violin. Viola is like dark chocolate and violin is like milk chocolate; they're both good but I've always been more of a dark chocolate lad

Alternate title: Playing the wrong song on the wrong instrument 😂