JAVS Spring 2025

Figure 1. Crucial viola dimensions and measurements

This study is relevant since there are various viola models and sizes, including the traditional Brescian and Cremonese violas and experimental, unorthodox, cutdown, and asymmetrical viola models. This variety in models and shapes can challenge violists to objectively understand the correlation between the instrument dimensions and the player’s physicality (playability). Motivation for this Inquiry This article is based on the treatise “The Viola Dilemma: Playability Versus the Various Sizes, Shapes, and Measurements,” a three-year research project I conducted while pursuing a Doctoral viola degree at Florida State University. Based on my background and observations as a performer, teacher, and amateur luthier, I determined even the most experienced could undergo challenges and stress when looking for a new viola. I also struggled with these aspects when I began the search for a new instrument right before starting my doctoral degree in viola performance, thus motivating my study. As a performer and teacher, technique, good posture, and the physicality of playing are familiar subjects in my field. Nevertheless, how the variability in viola sizes, models, and measurements affect playability was a mystery to me and to most of my viola colleagues. Additionally, on my first day attending a violin-making class, I realized that the possibilities found in viola-making are far beyond

those found in the other violin-family instruments, as measurements can vary substantially in a regular-sized viola. After testing various violas of different sizes, models, and price ranges, I observed that body length (or size) alone does not determine the sound quality of an instrument and that, to perform satisfactorily, many other instrument characteristics should be considered. String Length String length, which is the distance between the upper nut and the bridge, is one of the most critical measurements of the viola. Surprisingly, even violas of the same body lengths can have vastly different string lengths. The following chart compares the instrument size and the string length of some violas I had the opportunity to measure myself. Most violas were copies or models inspired by the work of masters such as the Amati, Guarneri, Gasparo da Salò, Maggini, and Stradivarius; others were hybrid models. My intention was to determine whether instrument size and string length correlate. (See the following table).

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, No. 1, Spring 2025