> > > Naw, but it seems like it. There are, I believe... twenty violins, three violas [only one that plays consistantly and I think she'd really a violinist... I've pondered taking it up for the orchestra... prob'ly not, I'd have to stop making jokes]
> >
> > By the way, why do musicians continually make bad jokes about violas and violasists (sp), anyway? It can't be because the instrument sounds bad...
> >
> > Wolf "???" spirit
>
> It is because they (the musicians) are evil and cruel and jealous of the sweet, free, resonating beauty of the viola. They're jealous, do you hear me?! Jealous!

They're the easiest. Think about it. You can't pick on a Bass. We need the basses. They are very good at taking the place of percussion, and where would we be if we were in the middle of Correlli and it called for a drum solo? Besides, they're cool. Cellos are, also. Cellos get solos all the time and they also provide quite a good harmony. I personally love the sound. It's not so deep as to make it more of a novelty, it's small enough to play relatively fast (I think a whole step on a bass is first [index] finger to fourth [pinky]). Cellos are even cooler than basses, if you don't mind me saying. They sound totally different. Violins carry more melodies in a full orchestra, in general, than any other. Violas, in vile retribution, probably mad at themselves for picking viola, say we're too high and screechy. Well, that's only those of us who haven't practiced. Even in twelfth position, a fairly proficient violinist needn't squeak. Our G string notes-- even up to D and, occasionally, A-- can still make a room noticeably fill with vibrations. The higher higher notes are like a vocalist switching to his/her head voice, more of an audio thing and little else, but a really good violinist can make them sound as normal and clean as the other notes without the stereoptyped sterile sound. We are also the normal choice for those Baroque pieces [I've been on a bit of a Bach/Baroque kick lately, you'll excuse me] where the notes are not only all over the scale, predominently sixteenths, and full of triple- and quadruple stops that don't slow the melody. Now, violas can do most of this. At least, they could. See, if there's a really high piece, it generally goes to the violins. Violas are left to play harmony with that C string they are so proud of having. All the instruments have their own sound-- the deeper than deep basses, the sweet cellos, the soft violins / heady fiddles-- but a viola is just a viola. A violin-wannabe that sides with the cellos on the basis of comparative strings. Sure, it sounds a little different, I'll give it that, but there isn't as much character. In their defense [what am I doing?!] the viola-dominated pieces I've heard are all exceptionally beautiful. There are just so few of them in comparison to the others.

> -M"I'm a violist and I'm *very* sensitive about these things"el

I'm sorry. You should know none of us really mean it. It's been my experience that violists have some of the more likeable personalities. Viola is around my second choice currently, out of all the instruments I could easily find lessons for, to learn. Not counting violin. [It's right behind cello and right in front of piano and harp.] If there was any way for me to learn, say, tin whisles or penny whistles or other predominently Irish instruments, it might be moved back a little, but that is very, very unlikely so I don't count it.

Really, I love violas. One of my favorite teachers plays one. She plays violin, too, but only on the side. They're just the easiest to pick on!