Play Viola online
A four-string bowed instrument slightly larger and lower-pitched than the violin; like the violin, it is held on the shoulder.
Dizi
On a keyboard, the keys A S D F G H J K play the eight pitches of the scale.
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Turn your phone sideways or switch to full screen to see the instrument larger.
Keyboard keys
Add it to your home screen as a separate app: opens with one tap and works offline too. Free.
Keyboard: the up and down arrows select a course, Space or Enter plays it, plus and minus move the selected course's mandal by one comma.
Tap or swipe on the right side; tap the labels on the left to select a course. No sound on iPhone? Turn off silent mode.
Mandals
Lower or raise each pitch one comma at a time with the mandal levers. The setting applies to every course that has no setting of its own.
Course mandal
Tune a single course separately from the pitch setting. Courses you don't adjust follow the pitch setting.
About the Viola
In brief
- Family: Bowed string instrument (middle voice of the violin family)
- Origin: Northern Italy, 16th century; developed alongside the violin
- Body and materials: Larger than the violin; body length about 38–46 cm
- Strings: 4; C–G–D–A, a fifth lower than the violin
- Frets: Fretless; comma intervals are stopped by finger placement
- Playing: Held between chin and shoulder like the violin and played with a bow
- Notation: Usually written in the alto (C) clef
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
History
The viola, from the violin family of Western music, was used in the 20th century in some fasıl and radio ensembles of Turkish music to fill the middle register between the violin and the cello. In makam music it has remained far less common than the violin.
Construction
It has the same structure as the violin: an arched wooden body, two f-shaped sound holes, a fretless fingerboard, a pegbox and a scroll. Its body is slightly larger; its four strings are tuned a fifth below the violin.
How it's played
Like the violin, it is held between the chin and the shoulder and played with a bow; the fingers of the left hand press the string directly onto the fingerboard.
Useful while you practice
Project notes
- Pitch system: Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek pitches are shown on a scale dividing the octave into 53 equal parts (the Holder comma, ≈22.6 cents), a close approximation of the theory's Pythagorean-ratio pitches. Each pitch is computed as its letter position plus the mandal shift; reference A4 = 440 Hz.
- Interval abbreviations: B = bakiye (4), S = küçük mücenneb (5), K = büyük mücenneb (8), T = tanini (9), A = augmented second (12–13 commas).
- Sound: real kanun recordings, retuned to comma precision for each pitch. With the synthesis option, each course is generated as three slightly detuned strings.
- Mandals: per-pitch tuning is the default; any course can also be tuned separately. Makam presets are per pitch.
- Known limitations: pitch names are referenced to Rast (G); makam presets are awaiting expert review.
Frequently asked questions about the Viola
How do I play the virtual viola?
On this page, the viola's fingerboard is drawn and the pitches appear as finger positions on the strings; you play by tapping or sliding your finger. On a computer keyboard, A–K plays the first octave and Q–U the second. From the “View” menu you can switch to the simple view, and on a phone you can enlarge the instrument by turning the screen sideways or with the “Full screen” button.
What does choosing a makam change on the virtual viola?
The pitches of the makam you choose are laid out with their comma values for two octaves starting from its tonic. The viola's sound, a fifth lower than the violin's, lets you hear the same makam with a darker, warmer timbre. The tonic and dominant are marked in color; you can also play the same makam on the virtual violin and virtual cello and compare.
Is the virtual viola's sound real?
Yes. The sounds are viola recordings from the Musical Instrument Samples archive of the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios (Lawrence Fritts; unrestricted use permitted). Each pitch is tuned with comma precision from the nearest note recording. The recordings are downloaded the first time you open the page, and synthesized sound plays in the meantime; you can also switch to the “Synthesis” option.
Can I use the virtual viola with pieces?
Yes. If you choose the viola in the “Play it yourself” step of the “Learn this piece” section of a piece in the sheet music archive, the virtual viola opens with the piece's makam. For ensemble practice, it is a good exercise for getting to know the viola's middle register and following the melody from the lower octave.
Source: Wikipedia