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On my work computer that just has an old version of Cakewalk, so I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted it, but I cleaned up the rhythm and accidentals a bit.
Sponges. Denser sponges, like cosmetic sponges, are better than kitchen sponges. If you like, you can wrap them in some fabric to make them more pleasant to touch, and keep them together if you're stacking more than one. You can also add some rubber cement on one side (and let it dry!!!), which will stick it to the instrument without damaging the varnish. Or you can just use a rubber band.
But you should also learn to play without a shoulder rest, just in case ;) It's a good skill to have.
There is a book by Yehudi Menuhin and William Primrose about the violin and viola. it’s about the instruments in general but it also has a lot to say about technique and practice for both instruments. primrose also writes about repertoire which is nice . What I think was really interesting is what Menuhin wrote about stretching and its impact on practicing. Overall a great book
https://www.amazon.de/Violin-Viola-Yehudi-Menuhin-Guides/dp/1871082196
Get yourself this scale book. That book has every scale, major and minor, with arpeggios in multiple positions. I used it so much that I had to reinforce the cover and binding with packing tape. It may be boring but focus a decent chunk of your practice time on it. You have to retrain your hand, so start slow with a metronome. You can do it!
For more advanced players, Extreme Viola (Amazon) is an interesting one. Straight from the title it's "A 12-week Course in Scales, Arpeggios, and Double-stops". Worth a look. Happy practicing!
Dude! Back 2006 I found a great book full of Scott Joplin arrangements by Itzhak Perlman. It's for violin and piano, but I'm sure you can transcribe it for viola. This book gave me a lot of joy to play and a life long love of Joplin's work. Here's an Amazon link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0793554675/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KsX3EbX5AWS01
Carl Flesh's Problems of Tone Production in Violin Playing is pretty awesome, and extremely easy to use for the viola.
However, with most of my students, the biggest gain in tone production has been from developing a sense of relaxed arm weight, especially at the frog. Many string players tend to hold the bow tense in the air (unnecessary counterpressure from the thumb) instead of allowing the natural weight of the arm and bow to come into play.
Tbh it looks like a fancier (overpriced) version of this kind of practice mute. I do use that type when preserving more sound is preferable but I just want a little reduction in volume (like if I'm working on something super tedious, like working something very technical up to tempo), and I recommend it more for regular use than other versions that dampen the sound more. But it's not as quiet as a heavy straight-up metal mute.
I've tried apps, but personally I'll always prefer a separate metronome. My phone just can't get loud enough to keep me in line 😂 The one I have also includes a tuner and thermometer/hygrometer.
This is my favorite, but if you really want to go all-out, the Dr. Beat will literally yell "ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!" at you, lol.
When you have physical discomfort there are two areas to look at: 1. Setup, and 2. Technique. 1. Setup is your equipment. What shoulder rest, chin rest height, length of viola, chin rest location, shoulder rest location, etc. 2. Technique is how you hold and play the viola, and there are probably issues there too. There could be issues with stance, knees, hips, shoulders, angle of the viola off your chin, etc. Also, when technique goes out the window with difficult passages, that means you need to spend more time playing easier material and focusing solely on technique. It won't become "auto pilot" in difficult passages until you spend a ton of time focusing on it exclusively. BUT, you need a private lesson. You can very easily make your problem worse if you don't get a diagnosis from a good teacher. There are great books on technique. Check this one out at your local library https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Action-String-Playing/dp/1883026199
Don't translate in your head ("that's an E so my finger would go here", "that's a G so I'll play an open string"). Work on the written notes as finger placements directly. Associate the fingers with the notes, and practice your scales so it's just the finger pattern that changes based on the key. Practice pattern recognition with scale and arpeggio exercises, and random note reading with apps.
This app lets you do this away from your instrument as well. I curl my left fingers around the back of my phone so I can associate a given note with a finger.
You can glue it back on, just don't use much and be really really sure it's dry before you put it back on your instrument. I don't think you need hide glue for this, I'm like 95% sure you can just use a tiny dab of super glue here. Is there cork on the bottom too? If not, there should be. If you need replacement cork, that can be found easily and cheaply online. Example. You'll need a tool like this to tighten the legs back to their ideal tension. You can probably borrow one from your teacher if you have one, but I keep one in my case and I definitely think it's worth it to own one just in case, since they're so cheap. You can also use something else very small (like the end of a mechanical pencil) to get close if you can't get a chin rest key.
As a stopgap, you can make a couple of loops with elastic and hook them over the sharp edges of your C-bout like so to keep the shoulder rest in place.
If this works you can use it pretty much indefinitely as it won't affect the sound of the instrument.
Use elastic fabric, not plain rubber bands, as the plain rubber deteriorates faster and can leave marks on the instrument.
Try sort of anchoring to the "home base" of open strings. Other than that, and practice in general, plain old flash cards/drills. Musictheory.net is great for this, and I also really like this app.
Personally, I use a metal practice mute (since I have a bunch of neighbors around me). It works really well in my opinion and I recommend it! https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Practice-Mute-Violin-Viola/dp/B00CICR3HG
Definitely get a teacher. But there's also this Whistler book that seems up your alley: From Violin to Viola: A Transitional Method https://www.amazon.com/dp/1495087913/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_ACPYRJY45KMTTV2C101M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I'm very impressed, I had guessed you were in high school!
Sorry, I had a typo, I meant d minor, not e! In any case, typically pieces start and end on the tonic (first note of the scale), or one of the notes in that chord. So in the case of F major, it would start on an F, A, or C. That said, break whatever rules you need to so that it sounds the way you want! How it sounds is the most important thing.
Just playing what sounds good and then writing it down is a great way to compose. Using a computer program just makes it easier for other people to read what you wrote. A lot of composers start off pieces by writing stuff by hand and playing their instrument, and put it into the computer later.
You might need a Bon Musica or a Mach One shoulder rest, something that fits differently on your body than the KUN does. Kun just kind of raises the height overall, but others will adjust the angle of the viola too. I'm 5'5 with narrow shoulders and the Mach One worked best for me, but everyone is different. If you are near a luthier shop, they might be able to help you try them out before you shell out a chunk of money on one.
This is the one I use! I have a neck on the longer side and it’s been pretty nice. You can make the arms go pretty high and the extra length over the shoulder is really nice for supporting the extra weight of the viola. There may be special higher shoulder rests out there but I do highly recommend these
[Viola Shoulder rest ]
(https://www.amazon.com/Bonmusica-16-Viola-Shoulder-Rest/dp/B000CRLTYM)
As people have already said, loosen your fine tuners all the way and then use the pegs to tune. To make this easier, you can get some peg compound. It looks like chapstick for your viola and will help the pegs rotate more smoothly and stay in place more firmly! Here's an example, but I recommend buying from your local music store rather than from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B014EYBS6C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_B1ARTZ8TCM3AK4CFWZ3Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Practicing with a tuner helps. I use Tuner - Pitched but anything that can detect notes will work. Play the notes slowly and watch the app to make sure they're in tune.
Do you know how high he needs to go? Using the pinky (aka 4th finger) is fairly common, it just takes practice to strengthen it. If he needs to shift up into say, 3rd position, that can make intonation more difficult. Again, it just requires practice. Play scales slowly with a tuner.
You might want to try getting some Suzuki Viola School books. The first volumes are more for beginners and as you progress they get more difficult. I don't know how much your skills have regressed, so I've linked volume 3 above.
I would avoid Mendini. If you are strapped for cash (who isn’t) I would recommend going to a luither/music shop and seeing what they have in the same price range, so you can at least play it before buying. A $100 viola is going to sound and play like a $100 viola (tone could be uneven/high action).
If you are currently playing a 13inch, and want to get a bigger size,I would encourage you to go as big as possible. Small violas (under 16inches) that sound “good” are expensive/hard to find. You can get a solid viola for around $400 if you commit to 16-17inches. My personal preference is 16 1/2.
For strings, I would recommend Evah Pirazzi Gold. Just get the whole set. Some people like to get a different A string however, I personally enjoy the one it comes with. If you wanna go all out on strings here is a great website.
https://violacentral.com/best-viola-strings/
If for whatever reason you have your heart set on a $100ish viola from amazon, get this one.
Cecilio CVA-400 Solidwood Viola with D'Addario Prelude Strings, Size 16-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOYKC88/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2cPJCbGDFDHJA
Go be great.
You can find them on amazon these days, just be wary of crappy knock offs.
Bow-Right for 1/4 - 1/2 Violin - Teaching Tool and Training Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E3WXG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l4ayDbCKC6464
You can find them on amazon these days, just be wary of crappy knock offs.
Bow-Right for 1/4 - 1/2 Violin - Teaching Tool and Training Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E3WXG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l4ayDbCKC6464
Yeah, I should have worded the question better. I know slide on mutes generally are not intended to replace practice mutes. But there's this. I've seen mixed reviews on it though. I wonder if anyone here has used this or similar?
It's actually the Cecilio, listed at 179.99
A couple thoughts! I found it on Amazon for $26. If you need extra cash, try Swagbucks. I'll send you a referral link if you want; it's pretty passive and they pay out in Amazon gift cards. There are tons of tips on /r/swagbucks.
If you can't scrape together $26 just now, what about asking your teacher for a photocopy of their part? I assume you're not trying to learn this without a teacher.
I want to second what /u/fourstringsRVA said about getting new feet. Why mess with a setup that works perfectly well for you? If you like your Kun, stick with your Kun. I found these on Amazon just with a quick google search--those will never wear out, although they're slightly more prone to scratching. Or you can even just replace the rubber covers with these from Shar. Either way, you shouldn't have to spend more than $15 fixing this!