I lick donkeys.

is it easy for someoen that plays the violin to pick upa viola and play something?

Okay, let`s get to the bottom of this. First of all, violinists should be ashamed of themselves for not taking the time to acknowledge the significance of the viola, especially in today`s modern symphony. I studied violin for 12 years before I ever picked up a viola. Upon trying it for the first time, I fell in love with the texture and the personality of the instrument! It`s beautiful and significant in and of itself. I have played viola professionally for the past 9 years (after playing violin professional for 5 years) and I can tell you that it is not a `slacker` instrument by any means. With all do respect, I can play the high and fast passages on both violin and viola, and I find the viola the more difficult of the two because I no longer have those wonderful small intervals that the violin has. Along with intonation, artistry, tone quality, technique and critical listening, I now have to work on developing more strength and flexibility in my hands to accomplish on viola what was once quite comfortable on the violin. So please, give viola players a break. If you don`t play the instrument, then you have no idea of the hard work that it takes to gain proper technique and respect on the instrument. It`s critical to the symphony much like the violin, cello, bass. . . .Take a break from the jokes and work on your technique.

Hurray for the indispensable middle fiddles!

My story is similar to Kim`s, insofar as having played violin professionally for a number of years before "making the switch". But I found the viola to ultimately feel more natural, and to eliminate much of the tension I was experiencing as a violinist, probably because my body type is more suited to viola playing. The trade of that harsh, shrill, nerve-jangling E-string for the lush, sensuous, mellow C-string is what initially did it for me, though.

Bratsche`s Viola Bazaar
http://viola.geargems.com

I don`t see why violists should feel inferior or why should people make fun of violists as being insignificant or something of that sort. The viola is to the violin just like the piccolo is to the flute, the cor anglais to the oboe, the bass clarinet to the normal clarinet, the alto saxophone to the tenor saxophone.
Violists are merely violinists who decides to play on a bigger violin called a viola with a different clef, that`s all. Be proud of being violists just as violinists are proud of being violinists. You never heard of a piccolo player being a second class flautist, a cor anglais player being a second class oboist, have you?

I have to disagree here.
Violists AREN`T violinists who specialise in viola. All the instruments you mentioned are "doubling" instruments. While the player SHOULD specialise, this rarely the case with woodwind extras ( gradually this is changing for english hornists, but not for the others ). How many orchestras can really support a dedicated Eb clarinetist, for example?
But the viola is an instrument you play as a main instrument, like the `cello, violin or trumpet. While a violist CAN play a violin, and vice-versa, this isn`t normally the case. I have never played a violin in my life. But I play viola.
The reason there are viola jokes is mainly because of violinists mistaken assumption that they can play the viola simply because they can play the violin. The result is a thin dry tone ( violinists never use enough pressure ) and flawed intonation ( they`re used to smaller distances ). I`ve found that violinists, even great ones, who pick up the viola and assume they can play, sound awfull.
Oh, and the alto sax is the primary soloist in classical saxophone repetoire, the tenor is only the primary instrument in jazz.

Well, i`m sure you`re one rare violist who doesn`t play the violin at all.
Any good violists or good violinist should be able to switch between the viola and violin effortlessly.
Look at violin virtuosos such as Maxim Vengerov and Yehudi Menhuin, the play the viola too. They have recordings of Walton viola concerto, and they sound great, and this is attributable to their background as violin soloist. I`m sure any great violinist can produce a solid tone and good intonation on a viola within a relatively short time frame of adjustment.
Of course i do agree that it is much more difficult to switch from the violin to the viola as compared to switching from a flute to a piccolo, an oboe to a cor anglais, etc.
Sure viola is a main instrument in an orchestra.

Actually, I have to say that I`ve heard several recordings by violin virtuosos ( who I like on the violin ), so sound poor on the viola compared to violists. I might include the Walton you mentioned in that category.
Compare a viola and violin virtuoso on the viola. Really, there is a HUGE difference to my ears. On the viola violinists can sound okay, but a truly great violist sounds so much better.
One of the reasons I`d be a terrible violinist is my fingers ( they`re both large and long ), are just small enough for the viola ( past eigth position I have to some tricky fingering due the smaller intervals ). Also the only time I`d need to know violin is when Strauss asks the violists to play violins!

I wanna y ppl hate the viola so much! Viola is only a bigger and a deeper sounded string instrument then the violin. Like the bass clarinet is to the clarinet. I am starting to take up viola. Will ppl hate now?

***I wanna know y

it doesn`t even matter what instrument people play, it just depends on what the person is like, there are good viola players, and snotty viola players, just as there is bad violin players and snotty ones, and so one with every instrument. . .

Everybody are different , hence have different preference, why bother if people hate viola or like viola, as long as you love it , you should go ahead and learn it. It`s so immature to be thinking in terms of how people will see you, instead, your first consideration should be how much you like an instrument to spend the time and effort learning it. Every musical instruments have their pros and cons, we should learn to respect each others` preference instead of lookiing down on each others` choice of learning an instrument.

I`d say be prepared for people not to know what a viola is... but don`t worry, they won`t hate you for playing the viola.

What Heather said. There`s nasty and nice players in every section. Like our first chair violinist this year is a very nice person, doesn`t show off, etc. But at least half of the rest of the first violinists are stuck up and rude.

Violists aren`t automatically violinists. Some play both, but not all do. Though my friend, who`s a very good violist, can pick up a violin and play most songs.

And not everybody hates violas. I`m partial to violins, as I`m a violinist, but for what it`s worth, the violists that I have met are very intelligent, have a lot of attitude, and are somewhat underapreciated.

I`m pretty sure at least 95% of violists were once violinist and 100% of world class violists were once violinist. Great(world class recording) violist or great whatever instrumentalist probably started playing the instrument they are good at below 10 years of age. I don`t suppose a children below the age of ten would be so far sighted to know that they are going to be a world class violist one day and start learning a viola instead of a violin. Moreover, is there such thing as a quater size or half size viola? If there is, it has to be a violin tuned like a viola.