What is the difference between a viola and a violin?

The difference between a viola and a violin lies in the tone they produce. A viola normally provides a more distinctive and warmer tone in comparison to a violin. The instruments' size, tuning and strings contribute to that difference.

William Primrose, the famous viola player, once said, "The difference between violin and viola is that the viola is a violin with a college education." With regard to their size, the viola is bigger. Its length generally goes from 40 to 43 centimeters, while the violin body is about 35 centimeters long. Violas and violins share three out of four strings; violin strings are E, A, D and G, while viola strings are A, D, G and C.