All you need to know to start playing the viola da gamba

Do you want to start playing the viol? Do you like the instrument and want to know more about it? Here I answer your most asked questions about the viola da gamba: where to buy one, finding a teacher, buying vegan strings etc :)

00:00 Intro
00:09 What kind of music does the viola da gamba play?
01:44 Which viola da gamba size should I have?
02:50 Where do I buy a viola da gamba?
04:28 Can an adult learn to play the viol?
05:18 How long should I practice?
06:32 Can vegans play the viol?
07:12 How can I learn the viola da gamba?

I'm on Twitter and Instagram as @thegambageek

[arvarat]

I am a 12 year old boy, I play the violin and for me viola da gamba is very interesting and beautiful 😇

[lllllknn]

i have final exams tomorrow, i dont own a viola and i dont know what viola da gamba is. what am I doing with my life

[aleksandrawodarczyk]

O my goodness gracious, I looove your passion, humor and such an encouraging attitude!❤

[michaelblaney]

Well it maybe more difficult to get started with this instrument then the cello but it seems more related to the instrument I already play ( bass guitar) . I will look up the society in the US, hopefully they know where instruments can be found in my area.

[petersmith]

thanks.... just what i was hoping to find.... good advice

[aprilbrown]

I got one of the bass gambas from China. It came with an endpin, which is weird, but is actually kind of a nice feature in retrospect, since I have some issues with my knees and hips.

The nut is either too shallow, or the bridge too short, or the angle of the fretboard too high. I wasn't able to fret it even with the finest gut because the strings wouldn't clear the fret. I ended up moving the bridge way, way high in order to get the angle of the strings high enough to be able to put on frets. It's almost to the top of the C holes. I think I will try to get a custom made taller bridge to compensate.

All that being said, it sounds lovely.

[songfulmusicofsongs]

I like your gamba picture. It's cute.

[twokoolskool]

Interesting advice. However, where do you find beginner viol sheet music to practice? When I search the web, I barely find any music for the gamba, and what little I find is super advanced and difficult.

[ronaldocesardasilvaesteves]

Muito bom, Águeda! Obrigado pelas informações!
E na dúvida: get the bass! Rs.

[joelzenny]

I think this has been answered already, but I love the viola da gamba, but also love the cello. I am in Mexico City, so it's definitely hard to find violas de gamba here or teachers. It's easier to find cellos and cello teachers. If I start with cello, how difficult would it be to learn viola da gamba?

[jm.]

So bass is the way to go. Would you recomment a 6 stringed bass? I have the opportunity to get a used one that fits my price expectation for a beginner. But will I be disappointed in the future when I miss the 7th string? I would mostly play for accompaniment eg the base line for a small consort or singer.

[gothfather]

Hi, I am new to the Viola Da Gamba and I have a few questions, if you don't mind.

Can you please confirm why the gamba has only 7 frets?
Is it possible to play without frets?
How many semitone (notes) does the neck have for each string ?

Thanks!

[ndunguwarui]

please help me get strings for the 6 string one... a link will do

[FrogToTheFrog]

I’m starting with a tenor...
Is that bad..?
I’ve basically hunted down and purchased as much tenor viol solo music as I can find..
(Maybe I can learn to transpose up a fourth?)

[voidabstraction]

Do you know what the fret board radius for the bass size is?

[chrishickory]

I would like to use the Viola di Gamba in one of my songs, but that is the only time I would use it, where could I find someone who can play the notes for me?

[johnmurdoch]

I think the biggest selling point for a string player here is FRETS

[janbecker]

Is it harder to learn the viola da gamba or the cello, when i have not played any string instruments before? I am interested in both instruments, but i don`t know what is right. I am playing the piano since 8 years and i can read notes...

[lexicornix]

Are there also left-hand instruments (today)?

[anndodo]

it is not vegan to play viola because the glue is also made of animal bones/skin or fish bones.