Viola Rental

As with our violins, RentalInstrument.com violas are constructed to the highest standards, approved by professionals and educators. You'll find violas for every level of player. Young players can start learning with player-friendly beginner instruments and advanced players can choose from our professional-quality violas. All violas are custom made for RentalInstrument.com.

White Label
White Label violas are our most affordable instruments, perfect for beginning players. Available in sizes 11, 12, 13, and 14 inches, they are set up to be friendly for the beginning player, with soft, lower strings and scratch resistant varnish. They come with Super Sensitive Red Label or Thomastic Dominant strings, four adjustable fine tuners, a wooden bow made of real horsehair, a hardcase with backpack strap, and name tag.

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Black Label
Black Label violas are constructed with aged wood and oil varnished, giving them a rich and mature tone rarely found in new instruments. The ribs, back, and scroll of the instrument are made of beautiful flamed maple, the bridge is aged maple, the instrument has a solid ebony fingerboard, and the top is constructed of resonant spruce wood. Available in sizes 13, 14, 15, 15½, and 16 inches, they come with Super Sensitive Red Label or Thomastic Dominant strings, four German-made Whittner adjustable fine tuners, a wooden bow made of real horsehair, a hardcase with backpack strap, and name tag.

Euro Label

RentalInstrument.com has access to European violas constructed in countries from Germany to Romania in the 1970s. After being kept in careful storage for 30-40 years, these aged instruments are available today exclusively to RentalInstrument.com customers. Rarely will you find brand new instruments that have already been aged. These violas are available in sizes 13, 14, 15, 15½, and 16 inches.

"The varnish on these violas is beautiful to start with. Deep, full and fast responding low strings, especially low on the C-string. Also, the G-string (high positions) is easy to play on (easy to create the right quality of the high position G-string). The A-string has enough brightness to bring out the necessary quality of sound that every viola needs."

–Ah Young Sung
B.A. from Royal Academy of Music in London, Masters from Yale University

About the Viola

Violin rental Consider the viola to be the middle child of the violin family, sitting pretty between
the big brother cello and little sister violin. That is if you can tell the violin apart
from the viola. It’s easy to mistake the viola for a violin because their sizes aren’t
very different, and the pitch they each create also sound very similar. The two are
also played in nearly identical ways. In truth, the viola is only a fifth below the violin in pitch range, allowing it to have a considerably richer sound perfect for playing harmonies. Unfortunately, the viola doesn’t get as many spotlight opportunities like its violin counterpart.

While someone who has no knowledge of violas or violins might not be able to tell any difference between the two, the viola is larger in size and less proportionate in shape. This difference in size contributes to the instrument’s technical differences, with notes being spread out further across the finger board, often requiring different fingerings. The heavier bow and slower responding strings also cause the violist to bow differently and more intensely than a violin player. In staying true to the family roots, the viola is most usually found with four strings. However, some luthiers have constructed violas with five strings, giving the viola a great playing range.

Due to the thicker strings, the viola takes on a thicker accent if you will, and sings
slower than the violin, with a deeper, richer tone. Even the bow used to play a viola
must have a wider strap of horsehair. Picture the viola like a slow turtle behind a fast
hare, slow enough in fact that if a viola and violin are playing together, the violist
must start moving their bow about a fraction of a second sooner than the violin in
order to create a sound that begins at the same moment as the violinist’s sound.
As mentioned before, the viola tends to be outshined often than not by it’s little sister
violin. However, chamber music is well known as one type of composition that is
all about liberating the viola. Six string quartets were a favorite of Mozart’s, and
typically required 2 viola parts. These also happen to be widely recognized as some
of his best works. Other great composers noted to be true blue viola supporters are
Beethoven and Bach, whom when playing in ensambles, preferred the viola over the
violin.

Today, the viola is widely used, not only in chamber orchestra and ensembles, but in
popular music that can be heard every day on the radio by bands like 10,000 Maniacs
and The Velvet underground. The Who have featured viola’s in their music, including
in their huge classic, “Baba O’Reilly”, as well as The Beatles duo of violas in “Hello,
Goodbye”.

Top 5 Recommended Viola Pieces to Master