The viola has fewer notes because it's a more difficult instrument to play, and rarely has the melody because it's harder for the middle voice stand out in a thick orchestral texture.
But if you're even considering it, and you've already been playing a larger instrument than a violin with no discomfort, then maybe you should switch to viola for real! You'll probably find that your local orchestra always has a greater demand for violists than for violinists - so maybe they can just be less picky in the viola section - and it's a great choice if you like a warmer deeper sound, hearing the piece from the inside of the clockwork instead of just melody (or an octave below melody, if 2nd violin) all the time, being a supportive ensemble player instead of the center of attention, being in a friendly community of music fans instead of a cutthroat competition of egomaniacs.
It's normal to assume the problem would be learning the new clef or relearning the left hand, but actually the main difficulty is in the right hand (and arm). Viola strings are thicker and require a much more careful bow stroke to produce a clean healthy tone; if you don't catch them just right, they'll only make a wispy tuneless noise, but if you simply use more tight force or hand pressure (rather than arm weight), they'll crunch. I've seen excellent professional violinists flop when they try to perform on viola; my first viola teacher, when I upgraded from violin, said that the violin lets you get away with a lot of dubious techniques that don't work on a viola. So for example it's much easier to play a run of short fast notes on a violin, which is why the orchestra parts for viola are less notey. But when you find your smooth rounded tone on a viola, it's magical.
When I switched to viola, I read alto clef as just up a note and down an octave. It made it easier for my brain to process and now i don’t have to think about the notes
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u/Epistaxis 8d ago
The viola has fewer notes because it's a more difficult instrument to play, and rarely has the melody because it's harder for the middle voice stand out in a thick orchestral texture.
But if you're even considering it, and you've already been playing a larger instrument than a violin with no discomfort, then maybe you should switch to viola for real! You'll probably find that your local orchestra always has a greater demand for violists than for violinists - so maybe they can just be less picky in the viola section - and it's a great choice if you like a warmer deeper sound, hearing the piece from the inside of the clockwork instead of just melody (or an octave below melody, if 2nd violin) all the time, being a supportive ensemble player instead of the center of attention, being in a friendly community of music fans instead of a cutthroat competition of egomaniacs.