About Silent Violas
The viola, which supports orchestras and chamber music ensembles from within, is an important instrument that determines the expression of the music. Yamaha's Silent Viola, as the name suggests, provides a softer sound than the acoustic viola, letting you practise to your heart's content without feeling any constraints.
The viola supports the midrange of string ensembles
Among the stringed instruments, it is the viola that plays the inner parts, together with the second fiddle. In contrast to the violin, the beauty of the viola is its soft and warm sound.
Until 1750, however, the viola had rarely been treated as a solo instrument. Famous viola pieces, which are small in number, often include ones full of sorrow due to the image of the instrument's sound. Berlioz wrote his 'Harold in Italy ' at the request of Paganini, who got Stradivari's viola. However, it is said that Paganini refused to play the tune because he thought this tune was too sombre to fully display his spectacular performance.
'Viola' used to be a general term for bowed string instruments
Although by 1535 the viola, as well as the violin, had become established as one of the major instruments, around 1500 'viola' was still the general term for bowed string instruments. In Italy, people used to refer to a specific instrument by adding the term 'viola', like 'viola da braccio' and 'viola da gamba'. It was not until the 18th century that they started to call the present viola, the 'viola'.
Although we play the viola in the same manner as the violin, the viola is bigger and longer than the violin, and has four wound strings tuned in perfect fifths, which is exactly one fifth below the violin. There remains a document that says the viola made by Stradivari in 1690 was 48 cm long (the current viola is approximately 40 cm long). Since the large viola was hard to play, many viola makers in the 19th century pursued their studies to create an instrument with an improved playability and acoustically desired structure.
Silent Viola with a mute function
Our Silent Viola, an advanced type of this instrument, can be recommended to both beginners and advanced-level players. The sound volume is decreased by removing the sound box that amplifies string vibrations and reducing vibration and resonance. Because the instrument also has a tone-controlling system on it that controls the upper harmonics, it provides the performer with the ability to play expressively from pianissimo to fortissimo without impairing its warm, full-bodied tone.
Range of the Silent Viola
