Beepster
Mostly I want a cello... but for a smaller bowed stringed instrument I think I'd definitely go viola over violin.

I played viola when I was at secondary school. It's a bit dull, or at least most of the classical repertoire is because you hardly ever get to play anything resembling a recognisable melody. Mostly it seems to consist of random middle notes of chords spaced out by rests.

Had I heard John Cale and the Velvets before I left school my attitude to the instrument might have been a bit more positive. With an added bonus of really upsetting the violin/viola teacher who was a real pain in all the sensitive parts of your anatomy you'd rather didn't hurt.

And they can screech just as much as violins. As can a cello.

jamesg1213
It's 'don't', not 'dont'.
 
It's a contraction of 'do not', hence the apostrophe.
 

Nice spot of correcting there old bean 
 
 
 
 
First there was the strummaging.
 
Now you're taking on my self-appointed role of forum spelling police.
 
And* all because I once stole a BAT from you 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
* I know. I absolutely feckin' know.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
..... never start a sentence with the word 'and' 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And what makes you sure of that Straummy?

bapu
And what makes you sure of that Straummy?

James once rebuked me harshly for just such a transgression.
 
And James kno grammer.

Whose grammer, your or his?
 
What was her name again?

 This thread has spiraled in a delightful way. 

Beepster
And do you actually play viola? I would really like to own a viola (violins just look way too tiny for me and honestly I think the screechiness would drive nuts and/or deaf).
 
Mostly I want a cello... but for a smaller bowed stringed instrument I think I'd definitely go viola over violin.
 
:-)
 

I do actually play viola! You can definitely screetch on it (and on cello), but it's a more mellow instrument than violin for sure. I 100% encourage you to get one ;) Though if what you really want to learn is cello, there's no substitute.
 
This is something I can answer a ton of questions about easily; I've been playing viola for over 20 years. So just holler if you get serious about it and need some advice!

tlw

Beepster
Mostly I want a cello... but for a smaller bowed stringed instrument I think I'd definitely go viola over violin.

I played viola when I was at secondary school. It's a bit dull, or at least most of the classical repertoire is because you hardly ever get to play anything resembling a recognisable melody. Mostly it seems to consist of random middle notes of chords spaced out by rests.

Had I heard John Cale and the Velvets before I left school my attitude to the instrument might have been a bit more positive. With an added bonus of really upsetting the violin/viola teacher who was a real pain in all the sensitive parts of your anatomy you'd rather didn't hurt.

And they can screech just as much as violins. As can a cello.

Aw, I'm sorry it was dull for you. In beginner orchestra it *can* feel a bit dull, because you never get the melody. But you get the POWER, because your notes define most of the chords. And the solo repertoire, imho, is some of the most interesting. It had its golden age in that time when composers were experimenting with tonality and chromaticism a lot, but before they dug into 12-tone and the like.
 
Now I have to go look up John Cale and the Velvets...