Small-sized violas for children and students

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In recent years, I've become keenly interested in the idea of developing models for small violas; smaller sizes for children and larger ones either for teenagers or for adults who for whatever reason don't wish to play a larger viola.  It's become something of an obsession to make 15-inch violas suitable for professional use, and smaller sizes that are really rewarding to play for the talented and enthusiastic young viola players I meet.

To this end, I've developed models of my own design for small violas.  There were three basic criteria to fulfil:

  • The instruments should sound like real violas, with strong and responsive C strings and an overall warmth and darkness of sound.
  • The violas should be light in weight and easily manageable for small players, with well-shaped necks, good-quality fittings etc
  • Although a handmade instrument can never compete on price with mass-produced instruments, it was necessary to find ways of producing these instruments more economically than my larger violas.

After some experimentation, and feedback from teachers and young players, I've come up with the following models.   Owners of these violas include Chetham's School of Music who have bought five small violas to enable all their young violinists to experience playing the viola; the Benslow Loan Scheme and young players who learn at Junior Guildhall, Junior RNCM, Junior RCM, the Purcell School,  and the choir school of St George's Chapel, Windsor.

Cornerless violas in 13 1/4 inch (32.7cm)  and 14 1/4 inch (36.2cm)  back length 

14 1/4 inch viola 2006

14 1/4 inch viola 2006

14 1/4 inch viola 2006
These violas correspond in size to 3/4 and full-size violins respectively.  This makes them ideal for violinists starting on the viola as the left-hand position is identical.   The cornerless body shape helps to give the violas an inherently darker sound.   The set up, in areas such as bass-bar size and positioning, bridge size and height and soundpost position, has been developed to give a viola rather than a violin response.   Lightness in weight is achieved by economy in the internal construction and by making a simple, lightweight head.

Two-cornered 15-inch  (38cm) violas
15 inch viola

15 inch viola

 15 inch viola

These violas are an ideal in-between stage for good young players who are not yet ready for a larger viola.  Since I started making them, I found that petite adult players were really keen to have this model too, which has been a great incentive to make them well enough for the sound to be comparable to my larger violas.  At least one viola of this model is now being played professionally.

The same design principles hold as for the cornerless viola; the weight is minimized by careful attention to the structure and by making a light head, and I pay a great deal of attention to choice of materials, arching and thicknessing of the back and front and then all aspects of set-up to create a really responsive and powerful viola with a strong, warm C and a flexible sweet A.

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