Editing Viola (section)

== Tuning ==
[[File:Viola peg strings.jpg|thumb|upright=0.45|"Normal" stringing shown here; some players reverse the G and C.]]
[[File:First positionB.png|thumb|upright=0.45|First position viola fingerings]]

The viola's four strings are normally tuned in fifths: the lowest string is [[Scientific pitch notation|C]] (an [[octave]] below [[middle C]]), with G, D, and A above it. This tuning is exactly one fifth below the violin,<ref>{{cite web |title=5 Differences Between Violas and Violins |url=https://consordini.com/5-differences-between-violas-and-violins/ |website=consordini.com |access-date=28 April 2019 |date=13 March 2017}}</ref> so that they have three strings in common—G, D, and A—and is one octave above the cello.

Each string of a viola is wrapped around a [[Tuning peg|peg]] near the scroll and is tuned by turning the peg. Tightening the string raises the pitch; loosening the string lowers the pitch. The A string is normally tuned first, to the pitch of the ensemble: generally 400–442&nbsp;Hz. The other strings are then tuned to it in intervals of [[Fifths tuning|fifths]], usually by bowing two strings simultaneously. Most violas also have ''adjusters''—''[[Tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments#Screw-and-lever tuners|fine tuners]]'' that make finer pitch adjustments. Some violists will choose to only have one fine tuner on the A string; others choose to have fine tuners on all strings. These adjust the tension of the string via rotating a small knob above the [[tailpiece]]. Such tuning is generally easier to learn than using the pegs, and adjusters are usually recommended for younger players and put on smaller violas, though pegs and adjusters are usually used together. Some violists reverse the stringing of the C and G pegs, so that the thicker C string does not turn so severe an angle over the [[Nut (instrumental)|nut]], although this is uncommon.

Small, temporary tuning adjustments can also be made by stretching a string with the hand. A string may be tuned down by pulling it above the fingerboard, or tuned up by pressing the part of the string in the pegbox. These techniques may be useful in performance, reducing the ill effects of an out-of-tune string until a proper opportunity to tune.

The tuning C–G–D–A is used for the great majority of all viola music.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.violaonline.com/tuning-viola.htm |title = Viola Online – Tuning |website=www.violaonline.com}}</ref> However, other tunings are occasionally employed, both in [[European classical music|classical music]], where the technique is known as ''[[scordatura]]'', and in some [[Folk music|folk]] styles. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], in his [[Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra]] in E{{music|flat}}, wrote the viola part in D major, and specified that the violist raises the strings in pitch by a semitone. He probably intended to give the viola a brighter tone so the rest of the ensemble would not overpower it. Tertis, in his transcription of the [[Cello Concerto (Elgar)|Elgar cello concerto]], wrote the slow movement with the C string tuned down to B{{music|flat}}, enabling the viola to play one passage an octave lower.