The viola for kids: how it works and what to hear

The viola is a string instrument that looks like a large violin. It is held under the chin and played with a bow. Its sound is lower, darker, and warmer than a violin’s. In the orchestra, the violas sit in the middle of the strings and fill in the harmony. The word is said “vee-OH-la.”

Quick facts

• Family: strings
• Size: the body is about 15 to 17 inches long
• Strings: four, tuned to C, G, D, and A
• Played: under the chin, with a bow or plucked
• In an orchestra: about 12
• Reads: the alto clef

How it makes sound

The viola works the way a violin does. A bow coated with rosin pulls across a string and sets it shaking. The hollow body makes the sound louder.

The strings are longer and thicker than a violin’s, so the notes are lower. The lowest string is the C below middle C on a piano.

The left hand presses the strings to change the notes. The fingers have to stretch a little farther than on a violin.

What makes the sound special

The viola sits between the violin and the cello. It is tuned five notes below the violin and one octave above the cello.

To match its low notes, a viola would need to be much bigger than it is. No one could hold it under the chin. So the body is smaller than the notes ask for. That is what gives the viola its dusky, veiled sound.

Its job in the orchestra

The violas sit between the violins and the cellos. Most of the time, they play the middle notes of the harmony. You may not notice them, but you would miss them if they stopped.

Composers also use the violas for dark, gentle tunes, and for moments when the music needs to sound like a human voice speaking low.

The alto clef

Viola music is written in the alto clef. The middle line of the staff is middle C. No other instrument in the orchestra reads this clef all the time.

Pieces to hear

Sinfonia concertante, by Mozart. A violin and a viola are the two soloists. They trade tunes, so you can hear how the two differ.

Viola Concerto in G major, by Telemann. One of the first concertos written for the viola. It is cheerful and about 15 minutes long.

Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, by Bach. There are no violins. Two violas lead the group.

Harold in Italy, by Berlioz. A piece for viola and orchestra. The great violinist Paganini asked Berlioz to write it. Read Paganini for kids.

The viola variation in The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, by Britten. See the listening guide.

Composers who played it

Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvořák all played the viola. Many composers have liked to sit in the middle of the music, where they can hear how all the parts fit.

Starting to play

Most violists begin on the violin and switch later. The hold and the bowing are the same.

A young child can start on the viola. Small violas are the size of small violins and carry viola strings. The Suzuki method has a set of viola books. Read Suzuki viola, flute, and guitar.

School and youth orchestras often need violists. A child who switches often finds a seat, a part, and a welcome waiting.

A teacher or a string shop will fit the size. Read violin vs viola and how to choose a first instrument.

Things to do together

Violin or viola? Play the Mozart. Guess which soloist is playing each time one enters.

Find the violas. In a concert video, look in the middle of the strings for instruments held under the chin that look a size too large.

High, middle, low. Play a violin piece, a viola piece, and a cello piece. Put them in order from highest to lowest.

Listen for the middle. Play a string quartet. Try to follow the viola, the third voice down. It is hard, and it is good training for the ear.

Print and play

Tick the strings on the instrument families listening chart. For the rest of the family, read string instruments for kids. For its smaller cousin, read the violin for kids.

For the viola’s own clef, read alto clef and tenor clef explained. For all four families, see instruments of the orchestra for kids.