im thinking about playing the viola is it hard? one of my friends said that the music is hard is that true?

The viola is as difficult as any other string bowed instrument. If you have played another, such as the violin or cello, then you have an idea of what to expect. If you have never played a bowed instrument before, it can seem a little intimidating, but the work is worth the reward. The major difficulty, besides learning to read and play sheet music, is in coordinating the bowing, but just like learning to drive a stick shift, once you get it down, you'll be fine.

I wouldn't say that...I don't have any experience with a cello, but I play violin and viola, and can say that violin is slightly easier to play. You don't use the same muscles as you do on a viola, and there's less stretching of the fingers overall.

That said, I think you should choose an instrument based on how you like the sound, rather than how difficult it is to play. The sound is the final result, while the practice is more transient.

Viola is slightly harder to me, only if you're playing with other people (duets, trios, ensembles, etc). Not because the instrument itself is more difficult, but because violas in a group RARELY play the melody. I play in my school's string ensemble, and we have 2 cellos, about 30 violins, and only one viola. I usually get stuck with harmony or baseline.

Also, I've noticed many of the violins in the class have the nut raised higher than my viola. When i play their violins, the strings are finer and firmer, so they cut into my fingers slightly.

I agree with tsevere, though. go by sound, not diffculty. Like for me, I'm trying to learn harp. Dont even try to tell me that harp is easy.

violas get no credit for existing. most people don't even know we exist. in ensemble music the viola part is generally easier, my theory, "composers think anything faster than quarter notes are scary and cannot handle the melody." But then there's the few people that prove that wrong, like me. If you're a beginner track down some ensemble music and look at that. Solo music is just as hard as any instrument. For technique, I find it easier to do vibrato and reach my pinkie to my g string on my violin rather than the c on my viola. The viola's a bigger instrument and a little more difficult to handle in certain ways.

the viola may be hard to some people, but to other people playing it is like second nature.i started playing the viola in the 5th grade when my sister got the chance to bring the viola home(it belongs to my school).I've only been playing the viola for about a year and a half,but it's fun.sometimes, i get discouraged when i try finding viola sheet music, but realize that the sheet music is only for the violin.take it from me, the viola is a fun,and difficult instrument to play....so is the cello.but if you want to go for it,then don't give up