hoddypeak - Posted - 10/15/2025:  06:57:43

My daughter plays viola, I would say she's intermediate. She's interested in reels and jigs after hearing Rocky Road to Dublin off the Sinners soundtrack. She was asking if there are any good songs that both a banjo and viola could play together.

I play clawhammer, and I'm pretty excited she wants to give this a shot. Looking for any suggestions-I know that viola and violin are pretty different from each other!

...I also need to play it cool or she'll realize how excited I am, then declare it cringe, and lose interest.

-hoddy

trapdoor2 - Posted - 10/15/2025:  09:58:36

She should be able to play anything you do (in whatever key you normally play). However, some tunes will lay better in C and F on the viola. I often transpose fiddle tunes down so that the fingering is the same on the viola as it was on the violin.

jenorma1 - Posted - 10/15/2025:  13:10:24

(building on the "transpose fiddle tunes down" idea):

I've always thought it would be fun to play a low-tuned banjo with a viola and both pretend that you're in standard fiddle/banjo tunings. Consider getting a set of aquila 7B (low tuned nylguts) and tune to the following pitches:

 dADF#A (open D - where you would play "A" tunes - tune the F# up to G for A modal stuff)

cGCEG (open C - where you would play "G" tunes - alternatively you could use "Old C" - cGCGA)

dGDGA (double G - where you would be "D" tunes)

dFCFG (double F - where you would play "C" tunes - alternatively you could use "open F" - dFCFA)

Then have your daughter pretend like her viola strings are actually violin pitches (e.g. the A is actually an E, the D is actually an A...) and cross-tune etc accordingly. You should be able to just play lower (and more mellow!) versions of old time tunes without a lot of thinking...

If you do this, please make a few recordings! I'd love to hear them...

Edited by - jenorma1 on 10/15/2025 13:11:23

banjopaolo - Posted - 10/15/2025:  14:18:47

I do play viola and banjo!

Viola is a very versatile instrument, you can play anything with your doughter…

Edited by - banjopaolo on 10/15/2025 14:20:15

VIDEO: Weird Dance
(click to view)

 

carlb - Posted - 10/15/2025:  14:46:39

quote:

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Originally posted by trapdoor2

She should be able to play anything you do (in whatever key you normally play). However, some tunes will lay better in C and F on the viola. I often transpose fiddle tunes down so that the fingering is the same on the viola as it was on the violin.

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I recently uploaded my version, in C (gCGCE), of Ernie Carpenter's "Elk River Blues" with the words by Rachel Anne Goodman. The fingering on the viola would be exactly as in G on the violin. You can play it without words but you'll have to figure it out on the banjo, in case you don't want to use open C tuning as I did.

hoddypeak - Posted - 10/15/2025:  14:51:33

Thanks gents!

pinenut - Posted - 10/15/2025:  15:03:57

quote:

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Originally posted by hoddypeak

Thanks gents!

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Y'know that a viola <poof> turns into a fiddle when it's played with a banjo; same as a violin...