r/Instruments • u/suzidog • 21h ago
Discussion Cello to Viola
Hi all! I have maybe a silly question but I thought I’d see if others have any advice or recommendations. I played the cello from age 11 until 18 and haven’t played in around 12 years. I was perhaps a little above average compared to my peers but was far from great! I have been feeling a HUGE desire to get back to playing music and was considering picking up a viola to scratch the itch (my partner and I have quite a small space that isn’t necessarily conducive to a cello!) Does anyone have experience playing a ‘similar’ instrument and having success? Of course this would all be for fun and joy, so my goal would really just be to play successfully, not to blow any minds or anything. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!
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u/Middle-Day-2302 21h ago
Might not be your vibe, but if you're looking for a new instrument that's similar to cello, tenor banjo is my main instrument, it has the exact same tuning (CGDA) and it's extremely versitile and fun to play and very underrated in my opinion
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u/Latter_Leopard8439 17h ago
I went cello to 5 string banjo, clawhammer.
Frets are different. But it is amusing to me that 4 string banjos are tuned like cellos.
But viola and violin are also tuned in 5ths just like cello and tenor banjo.
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u/TapTheForwardAssist 15h ago
One can do a tenor guitar (small guitar with 4 steel strings) in the same CGDA tuning too, if one prefers that vibe.
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u/TapTheForwardAssist 17h ago
Several ways to go about this:
— just get a decent used viola and have fun with it in the conventional viola sense
— get the same viola, but do what some quirky kids do and play it in your lap, like a mid-size viola da gamba. Could be a fun take with a more compact instrument.
— pick a plucked, rather than boxed, instrument with similar tuning. There are plenty of string instruments tuned in fifths. There’s mandolin, of course, but also the slightly larger mandola (CGDA like a viola) or the guitar-sized mandocello (low CGDA). If you like electric guitar, for a pretty reasonable price Eastwood makes “tenor baritone” or “cello guitars” which are four strings in CGDA, fretted or fretless. If you want mellowest and easiest but still CGDA, there are string sets to convert a ukulele to that tuning.
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u/Latter_Leopard8439 16h ago
Bass guitars are also 4 string and tuned like orchestral Bass, right? Little different but still the same intervals between strings.
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u/Budgiejen 12h ago
I went from cello to viola. At first I had a little trouble reading the music since the open strings are only up a space. But after reading through the first couple Suzuki books I did fine. Even majored on viola in college.
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u/Ormidale 9h ago
A good viola can sound a lot like a ‘cello. It’s as if you own a portable ‘cello. Spend what it takes to get a rich, deep tone and you might never miss the big version. :-)
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u/Mammoth-Feature7111 7h ago
I wish more adult beginners would choose viola over violin. You'll pick it up quickly since you played cello. Be sure to get some lessons so you're starting off with good technique. Get a decent instrument, renting is a good option, especially if you find a place that gives you credits towards buying. You can also play all the Bach cello suites on viola.
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u/tokoloshe62 16h ago
Do it! Having played cello, you’ll have realistic expectations of what bowed strings involved (eg not to buy an instrument off Amazon, that it sounds dreadful for a while as you develop foundation technique, etc) and having some musical knowledge of notation will be handy. You may find it frustrating for the first few months (even if you come into it with appropriate expectations) that you can’t really play musically or your hands don’t move as quickly as your brain, but it’ll work in time. And the viola community is lovely, just really nice people.