A viola is a little bigger than a violin, and it plays lower notes. Both are held under the chin and played with a bow. The violin has a bright, high sound. The viola has a darker, warmer one. From across a room, they are hard to tell apart. This page shows you how.
The differences at a glance
| Violin | Viola | |
|---|---|---|
| Body length, full size | About 14 inches | About 15 to 17 inches |
| Strings, low to high | G, D, A, E | C, G, D, A |
| Sound | Bright and high | Dark and warm |
| Music is written in | Treble clef | Alto clef |
| Number in an orchestra | About 30 | About 12 |
| Usual job | The tune | The middle of the harmony |
Size
A full-size violin has a body about 14 inches long. Violas have no single full size. They run from about 15 to 17 inches, and each player picks the one that fits the arm.
A viola is thicker and wider too, and it weighs a little more. The bow is a little heavier.
Strings
The two share three strings: G, D, and A. The violin adds a high E string on top. The viola adds a low C string at the bottom.
So the viola can go five notes lower than the violin, and the violin can go five notes higher than the viola.
Sound
Play the same note on both, and the viola sounds darker. Its bigger body gives a deeper tone.
The viola’s lowest string, the C, has a rich, husky sound that no violin can make. The violin’s top string, the E, has a brilliance that no viola can match.
Reading music
Violinists read the treble clef. Violists read the alto clef, which places middle C on the middle line of the staff. The viola is the only instrument in the orchestra that uses this clef all the time.
A violinist who switches to viola has to learn to read in a new way. It takes practice. Read treble clef and bass clef note names explained.
Their jobs in the orchestra
An orchestra has two groups of violins, about 30 players in all. They carry the tune much of the time.
The violas sit in the middle of the strings, between the violins and the cellos. They fill in the harmony between the high tune and the low bass. Now and then, a composer hands them the tune, and the color of the whole orchestra changes.
See where each one sits on the orchestra seating map.
How to tell them apart
By eye. Look at the size against the player’s body. A viola reaches farther down the arm. If two players sit side by side, the larger instrument is the viola.
By ear. Wait for the lowest notes. If the instrument goes down to a deep, dark note, it is a viola.
By the seat. In an orchestra, the players on the conductor’s left are violins. Violas sit toward the middle or the right.
Which one for a child?
Most violists begin on the violin. The two are held and bowed in the same way, so the skills carry over.
Small children who start on viola often play a small violin fitted with viola strings. It looks the same as a violin and sounds lower.
There are far more violinists than violists. School and youth orchestras often need violas, and a good young violist is welcome everywhere.
A child with long arms and big hands, who likes lower sounds, may suit the viola. Ask the teacher. Read how to choose a first instrument.
Famous composers who played the viola
Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvořák all played the viola. When Mozart played string quartets with his friends, he chose the viola part.
Pieces that show the difference
Sinfonia concertante, by Mozart. A violin and a viola are the two soloists. They trade the same tunes back and forth, so you can compare them.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, by Bach. There are no violins at all. Two violas lead.
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, by Britten. The violins have a variation, and then the violas have one. Read the listening guide.
Things to do together
Which is which? Play the Mozart. Each time a soloist enters, guess whether it is the violin or the viola.
Find the violas. In a concert video, look for the players under the chin whose instruments look a little too big.
Thick string, low note. Stretch a thick rubber band and a thin one over a box. Pluck both.
Read the middle line. Draw five lines. Put a dot on the middle one. For a violist, that dot is middle C.
Print and play
Print the orchestra seating chart. Read the violin for kids and the viola for kids. For the whole family, read string instruments for kids.
For the two largest strings, read cello vs double bass. For all four families, see instruments of the orchestra for kids.
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This article is part of Instruments of the orchestra for kids: the four families and how they sound.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.