JAVS Summer 2001

39

by Christine Rutledge

We all know how frustrating it can be when it comes time to look for a new instrument. Where do I go? Should I buy old or new? What makers are reputable? How much should I spend? What kind of sound should I be listening for? What exactly is it that I should be looking for? The whole process can be so frustrating you might just want to give up before you even begin! Imagine, then, someone putting 70 brand new violas in front of you and telling you to pick the ones that you think are the very best-sounding. That is what it was like for me and my two colleagues, David Holland and Jessica Troy, at the Fourteenth International Competition for Lurhiers at the Violin Society of America's 2000 Convention in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, this past November. After spending three very long days as a tone judge I feel that I have a much more enlightened perspective on what it is, exactly, that I like or would look for when trying to find a new instru ment. I hope that by sharing my experience I can make this process a bit easier for you when that time comes. It was also quite interesting to see the current trends in modern instrument making. On our first day at the convention the entire panel of judges for all instruments, both tone and workmanship, were assembled to review the criteria and processes for the competition judg ing. This was a major relief for me, because up to this point I wasn't really sure how I was going to approach the task. We were told that the competition would consist of three rounds, spread out over a five-day period, if necessary, with tone and workmanship judged in two independent competitions. In both facets of the competition all entries would be judged with no knowledge of the maker's identity; entrants were instructed to remove all labels or to completely cover them. In the first and certainly most daunting round, we were expected to play all 70 violas independ ent of one another, with no conferring amongst ourselves, and to eliminate as many violas as pos sible. It was suggested that we try to play on each instrument for only a short while, and quickly judge whether any particular instrument had the potential to win a medal or not. If not, we should eliminate it. At first it seemed a bit ruthless to only play each viola for a few minutes and either say "yes" or "no," this instrument is good or not. But, as we were told would probably be the case, it was quite clear which instruments played easily and sounded good and which did not. (This is something that you can do, too, when trying out new instruments-trust your first instincts and reactions. They are probably good.) The criteria I used to try to be as consistent as possible were: string response on all four strings in high and low positions; overall evenness of tone quality from low to high registers; projection; ease of playing; and the quality of the tone. I tried not to have any particular attachment to any one tone quality, either. I knew that I was very used to and drawn to a certain type ofviola sound, which did not necessarily mean that that was the best kind of tone quality. At first it was diffi cult to "divorce" myself from a tone that I am used to, but as I played a few instruments I became more open-minded. Despite the fact that at any given time there were about 10 people trying instruments in the same room, I managed to complete the task of making my first round eliminations by the end of the first day. I'd eliminated roughly three-quarters of the instruments I had played. The ques tion I asked myself was, "would I like to hear this instrument again?" My scores were entered on a computer sheet and a composite of the three viola tone judges' scores was assembled. Unfortunately the three of us had some differing opinions, and our collective list of choices was too long. Therefore we decided to pick a cut-off point at a certain high score. This made the list