See other small violas I have for sale:

viola #115
viola #114

A few words of explanation are needed about viola #116. As an octet maker, my first recommendation to a violist struggling with a big instrument is to switch to the alto violin. As much as I hate to say it, this might not be the best choice for some players for several reasons. One example is the player nearing retirement who might wish to play the last five or six years of his or her professional career on a smaller viola, the person for whom learning left hand fingerings and right hand bowing techniques for a new instrument is difficult, or for the violinist who doubles on viola and wants a string length as close to the violin as possible. These players need another option.

When I build a conventional or octet violin, my concerns are the geometric outline for typical Cremonese proportional refinement and applying the Hutchins plate-tuning method for the best sound. In the case of viola #116, however, these at first played a supporting role as I focused on other objectives. The instrument needed to have a short string length but a body length of at least 16", as I will explain a bit further on. The weight at the scroll had to be kept as light as possible, and the shoulders had to "get out of the way" for ease of playing in fifth position and above.

All of this had to fit within a framework of classical geometric design. It is easy to shorten the string length of a viola by simply shortening the neck, but this results in a disproportioned string length. The string length on viola #116 is proportional in that the player's hand comes to the shoulder where expected, yet it is astonishingly comfortable to play. As one player told me, "It isn't that the shoulders are easy to get around, it's that the shoulders just aren't there."

As a maker, I feel that a 15" viola is really nothing more than a violin with a C-string. However, the string length of a 15" viola is very comfortable to play, especially for the smaller hand. To merge the string length of a 15" viola with the body length of a 16" viola was a challenge, but I think I have succeeded. A 16" (405 mm) viola is about the smallest size I consider suitable for orchestral playing. Viola #116, with its compact string proportions and expanded body size fits the bill. Rib height is a comfortable 38mm, and the tonal resonances lie in the areas typical for violas in this size range.

I think of the inch between 16" and 17" violas as "the magic inch." That's because as the viola body nears 17", one begins to gain some of the benefits found in the large tenor violas of antiquity. Of course, playing a viola 17" or larger is very difficult for most players, but here an interesting possibility presents itself. If you are presently playing a 17" viola, using a viola made on the same proportional model as #116 would allow you to drop down to the string length of a 16" viola while keeping the benefits of the larger body size. The effect of a shorter string length and arm reach on one's professional longevity should not be lightly dismissed.

The exercise of designing this instrument did not really bend the geometric rules much, and the basic proportions of the violin body are present. As always, I tuned both free plates using the methods of free-plate tuning and mode-matching I learned from Carleen Hutchins. The assembled instrument is still very new as I write this, but it is a good viola and I expect it to get better with time and additional playing. Although #116 is not a member of the new family, I can say that the application of modern acoustical theory and free-plate tuning brings out the best in members of the old family, too.

I am always open to suggestions about your particular needs. Please contact me by email if you are interested in further discussions about this viola or would like to tell me about your special requirements.

See other small violas I have for sale:

viola #115
viola #114

Comment:

I had a lot of fun playing the new instrument (#116).  First of all, it's SO easy!  I've never picked up a viola before and been able to play in tune so easily--especially double stops, which are a breeze (why is that?). With my Caressa bow, which I haven't used for 10 years or more, the sound became more focused and clear. It really makes the C and the A sound quite special.  I've never played violin, but with this instrument I feel like I would have the mobility and flexibility to play like a violinist.  It is SO easy to hold.  (I'm not having any trouble at all with 1/2 position, either--much easier than my regular viola).

Melissa Stuckey,
professional violist

. . . . .

On a recent visit to Bob Spear's magic workshop, I had the pleasure of trying out his new design for a viola (#116) on which the shoulders have a steeper slope. The immediate effect of this was to make the higher positions more readily accessible. I could easily imagine a LOT of violists liking this. I've tried other violas on which similar experiments have been tried. The problem with them is that the luthiers did not seem to have a firm grasp on precisely what needs to be altered elsewhere on the instrument to adjust for changing the shape of the shoulders. Apparently Bob has figured this out. I felt like I was holding something quietly radical in my hands.

The sound was full and lightly warm, young but not yet broken in (I was one of the first to try it). I did not perceive a reduction in volume as a result of the design, which has been my complaint on other “new design” violas. Six months of playing this instrument and I think you’d really have something fine. It made me want to work on the Walton concerto again to see how my hand would feel in the higher positions.

Clifford S. Young
Princeton Symphony
Former Principal, Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Opera Gezelschap Forum

 

Last updated September 18, 2008.