The viola is similar to the violin in structure but larger, though unlike violin, its size has not been standardized. It consists of approximately 70 different parts glued together. The soundpost within is also made of fir. The fingerboard attached to the neck is made of ebony and is crowned with a maple scroll. Perfect compatibility of the parts is vital to the preservation and the tone of the instrument.

Most renowned violins are made by families Amati, Stradivarius and Guarner, which were part of the Cremona school. Rebec and Fidel, the predecessors of violin, were replaced by these during the Renaissance (15th - 16th centuries).

The strings made of wound metal (earlier made of lamb intestines or silk) are tuned to c, g, d1 and a1. They are attached to ebony or rosewood tuning knobs. In addition to the 1/1 size, also sizes 3/4, 1/2, 1/8, or even smaller, do exist. The violin sounds as written.

The bow consists of wood and horsehair. There are approximately 200 horsehairs covered with resin to increase friction. The horsehair tension is controlled by a screw mechanism located at the root of the bow. The sound of the viola is dark and warm, but is easily drowned by other instruments, as it is too small in relation to its tuning, which is perfect fifth below violin.

The instruments of the violin family are regarded as the most challenging and versatile of all orchestral instruments. They may be combined with all other orchestral instruments.

Different string playing techniques:

Bartok pizzicato: a string is pulled with force so it slams down on the fingerboard
Con legno: strings are played with the wooden part of the bow
detache: steady backward and forward movement of the bow
le grand detache: with full extent of the bow
legato: several notes with one bow movement
pizzicato: strings are plucked by fingers
ricochet: the bow bounces on a string with one string movement
spiccato: the bow bounces. A fast "staccato", marked by a dot beneath a note.
Staccato: the bow does not part with string, and stops. Marked by dot.
Sul ponticello: bow plays close to the bridge
Sul tasto: strings are bowed above the fingerboard
Tremolo: fast backward-forward movement on one or more strings

Listen to the audio samples:

Melody (394 KB)
Pizzicato (98 KB)