High level viola technique makes sense only on a fine instrument. With a good viola, you will not need to work so hard to make music. During an audition, you and your viola will be evaluated, so, the sooner you partner up with a good instrument, the better.

 

Avoid monochrome-sounding instruments. With a good viola you can work with the bow to create various colors, passion and drama. And you can only achieve that through a generous dynamic range that allows you to play from ppp to fff. With most violas you may change your bowing speed and pressure yet almost nothing happens, which is not desirable and can be frustrating.

 

A good test is to draw your bow from the end of the fingerboard towards the bridge while increasing bow pressure. With a fine instrument, there will be a huge change in the color of sound and volume. The viola must not choke when you play fff near the bridge.

 

Avoid hollow, unfocused sound. The sound must have a clear core to project in the concert hall. If the sound is hollow it will not project well and when playing quick passages, the notes should be heard clearly. The sound must be clean and ring without fuzz when notes are played in tune.

 

Clarity is closely linked to response; you will only have clarity if the response is very quick. The sound must start the instant the bow touches the string, otherwise the notes will mix in quick passages.

 

A fine viola will ring and ring. Check all harmonics you can. Without a lively sound the viola will be uninteresting from beginning to end.

 

Check the instrument in the upper regions of the C and G strings. You may not be using the 7th positions of the C string now, but as you start studying more difficult pieces, you will have to do that. Only fine violas will sound good in high positions of the C string. In general, there will be many wolves (aka false notes) there.

 

Playing comfort is not only related to the size of the viola. Some things like string length, upper bouts width, rib height, weight, feeling "under the chin", neck thickness and width will also have a huge influence on playing comfort. 

 

Forget the idea that “the bigger, the better”. Get a viola that is comfortable to play and will not cause you physical problems in the future.