My violin teacher told me that playing the viola can be good for the violin playing, but why would it be?

Perhaps it gives your ears a break from the E-string.

Maybe if you are strong enough to hold a viola a violin will be easy.

I've never heard that before, but I think sbhoa might be right. The violin certainly seems a lot smaller and narrower and lighter when you pick it back up again and it feels a lot easier to get around the fingerboard than on the viola - and it's not as much hard work either (in terms of bowing etc)

Playing a viola for a while tends to help violinists to get a better tone because of the different bowing technique required to play viola.

Viola is obviously very similar to play to a violin but to get the best sound requires adjustment to all the subtle things like bow pressure, bow speed, sounding point and the left hand changes too. I think that having to make all these adjustments (to a certain extent re-learning how to make a good sound) makes a player more sensitive to the effect each of these has on tone quality.

Then returning to the violin you will be better at automatically making changes in all these things depending on which string you are on and whether you are in 1st or 5th position for example. I think it helps to "connect the ears to the hands" in a funny sort of way - thats what I found anyway.

Yes, a violinist friend of mine borrowed a viola for a while to work on her tone and bowing.

Yes, this absolutely the right reason why a violinist should pick up and play a viola from time to time.

It refines tone production and develops strength and stamina.

Conversely, is there any good reason for a violist to play the violin from time to time? Just wondering....

What should a violist do then? I can't afford a cello.... Seriously though, is there something that would be good for a non-violin playing violist to fine tune their skills?

Ha! Says me as if I had any skills!!!!! Still, it doesn't harm to think ahead...

Rainbow, I think that playing the violin from time to time can help to improve left hand agility on viola. Viola players aren't recommended to play the violin in the same way that violinists are recommended to play the viola though.

Wow, but that would mean we would have to learn to read a new clef. It's like learning another instrument lol.

I started playing the violin, and tried a friends viola, fell in love and have never played the violin again, one of the hidden dangers of trying anyother instrument I suppose.

I certainly gained a certain amount of confidence and improvement of tone in my violin playing after playing the viola for a while. Not having to worry about the scary E string helps......

(It's all gone now, of course! )