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I was wondering, if you are looking for sheet music for your viola, or cello for that matter, and you can only find the violin version, do you go through all the work of transposing it to typical viola or cello music, or do you play it via the violin music, using the strings and fingering it would be done with if you were playing violin.
I know that, technically, the notes are not exactly the notes, but the tune still sounds like the tune.
The Bumble Bee Flies
Learn Viola on Violaman and Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk
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I'm just noticing this lone topic and question... anyone wants to answer? I don't really have an answer because I don't use sheet music that much (more of an ear-learner).
If I like a piece intended for violin, I can try to play the real notes ; sometimes it's possible (with a lot of shifting on the A string), sometimes it's not (if some notes are too high). In that case I may choose to play it a fifth lower.
If I have a mp3 accompaniment on hand (love accompaniments, they hide my mistakes a little…), I may transpose it down a fifth using software like Audacity. I don't think I would take the trouble of transposing a whole sheet music a fifth lower and into alto clef. That must have happened to me only a few times, and it's a lot of work.
Note : Musescore import feature can help if you have a good-quality pdf of the violin sheet music. You give it your pdf, and if it works, it converts it to a .mscz file that you can open in musescore (and then transpose or whatever). Got to check the result though, some notes may be just wrong.
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If the music is "violinistic", then it is best transposed. E.g. Kreutzer #2 is in C on the violin and F on the viola. Bach S&P would always be transposed.
Other music you can play as it is comfortable for you, but that might tend to imply the above.
The Schubert Ave Maria is available in pretty much any key you want.
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I wish I knew more about music Theory. I know enough to get by, but turning violin music to viola music, is a bit beyond me. I think, without using exact musical terms, if the note on the violin music, say, "C", not high C, The C on the third space, you know f a C e. That would be played on the A string on the violin with the second finger. Take that note as an example.
If I was to do whatever sing that was on my viola, instead, I would keep the same fingering.
I think what you guys re saying, find that C on my viola, the notes would be the same, sort of, but the fingering would be different. It would be 3rd finger on the G string, right? If it was C# it would be 4th finger. I haven't been able to play my viola for a while, and will be getting back, hopefully, next week. I am just making sure.
If I just want the melody, and am not concerned with the exact note transposed to viola,,just take that fingering and use it on the viola, allowing for the fact I use 4 fingers on the viola, like the cello, I have been doing this with cello, too.
I think that is what the two of you are saying, right?
The Bumble Bee Flies
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The violin is tuned G - D - A - E. The viola is tuned C - G - D - A, that is, a fifth lower : on the first string, between the viola C and the violin G, you have 5 notes (C-D-E-F-G), hence "fifth". Same goes for each other pair of strings.
The violin G, D, A string have the same notes as the viola G, D, A string.
If you have a violin tune and you play exactly the same fingerings on a viola (using the same strings as you would on the violin), the you'll get the same melody. It will just sound lower (e.g. when the violin tune has an open A = open 3rd string, you'll be playing an open D on the viola, same goes for any other notes). I understand that's what you're doing, that way you can transpose anything from violin to viola or to cello and conversely.
Now, if -for some reason- you want to play exactly the same notes (= at the same height) as in the violin tune (--> I understand that you don't actually want that), you could keep the same fingerings but just use different strings.
2nd finger on the violin A string is a C. If you want to play this exact note on the viola, you've got to play a 2nd finger on the viola A string. So instead of playing that 2nd finger on the 3rd string (violin), you'll have to play it on the 4rth string (viola). Basically you'll play everything "up one string", with the same fingerings, and you'll get the same notes. But, you'll have a problem with notes originally played on the violin E string (unless you have a 5-string viola 
Going back to that C = 2nd finger on the violin A string : if you play a 3rd finger on the viola D string, you'll get a C, but an octave lower. That's another way to have "the same notes" (but 1 octave down) : it can be useful if the original tune has a lot of notes on the E string. But it won't be the same fingerings.
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Mouse said
If I just want the melody, and am not concerned with the exact note transposed to viola,,just take that fingering and use it on the viola, allowing for the fact I use 4 fingers on the viola, like the cello, I have been doing this with cello, too.I think that is what the two of you are saying, right?
Yes, is the simple answer.
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Thank you. With music theory, "simple" is best with me.
The Bumble Bee Flies
Learn Viola on Violaman and Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk
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@wtw But, you'll have a problem with notes originally played on the violin E string (unless you have a 5-string viola ) : in order to reach them, you then have to shift on the viola A string, and that may not even suffice.
Yep, I ran into that problem, which tells me tht even though I did not know exactly, i music theory terms, what I was trying to do and ran out of notes on that A, I don't really shift on viola, yet, I was on the right track. At that point, I was trying to get exact notes. I just knew where they were on the viola, but ran out of space for those E string notes. This was way back when I first got my viola and had no viola sheet music, I use paper, not device screens. I didn't know about 5ths and things like that.
I then just went to fingering and same strings and found the melody was fine. Most of the sings that I did like that I preferred the lower mellower viola sound.
I hope I explained what I was doing back then correctly, but I think you get the gist.
Thanks.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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Thank you @Gordon Shumway and @wtw. I actually think I understand little bit more of theory behind this, now. Great explanations.
The Bumble Bee Flies
Learn Viola on Violaman and Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk
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