maple-veneered carbon fibre back, to reduce weight: violas played in the same manner as cellos (see vertical viola); and the eye-catching "Dalí-esque" shapes of both Bernard Sabatier's violas in fractional sizes--which appear to have melted--and David Rivinus' Pellegrina model violas.

Other experiments that deal with the "ergonomics vs. sound" problem have appeared. The American composer Harry Partch