>There's a maker[0] who builds wildly asymmetric violas that have pretty good sound and are ergonomically excellent
I mean... That instrument can sound like it's made by Gods in Heavens, but it looks like one of those Dali semi-molten clocks that got turned into a violin and would subtly message "kILL mEeeEe" through any music played through it.
Aesthetics of musical instruments matter a lot, both to the performers and the audience.
The french horn is not exactly the paradigm of beauty. Or a player blowing into an oboe (it is difficult to imagine that gesture producing such a beautiful noise; does he need to make that face, really? Indeed, he does). The posture with the violin is one of the most awkward one could imagine, also.
When those violas are played (as seen in the videos), the shape is least visible.
No, it's because it is very asymmetric, and we prefer symmetric shapes to asymmetric ones.
>The french horn is not exactly the paradigm of beauty.
I disagree. The instrument has an aesthetic.
> Or a player blowing into an oboe
The instrument looks fine though.
>The posture with the violin is one of the most awkward one could imagine, also.
The posture with the cello is arguably a very sexy one, but if you ask a cellist and violinist to walk while playing the instrument, guess which one's going to be the awkward one.
The violin gained initial popularity among street musicians. This is why it has the ergonomics it does.
The violin posture allows the performer to walk and jump and dance while playing the instrument.
Have you seen performers like Lindsey Stirling? That would be the last showperson I'd call "awkwardly postured".
Think about how differently you might feel about such an instrument if, like Don Ehrlich of the San Francisco Symphony, you were faced with either finding an instrument that you could play with your carpal tunnel or losing your position. That melty-looking viola might get awful pretty in a hurry.
I guess it's functionality vs aesthetics. You could probably craft beautiful piano sounds out of a cheap plastic keyboard, but it has to look good on stage too.
I've played a show once where we shared some instruments with another band due to cramped stage. The keyboardist in the other band was playing a Nord Stage, which is a very expensive, but still plastic keyboard (they go for $4-5K).
Despite its iconic look already being a thing that people shell out extra $$$ for ("gotta have the red one!"), the performer put hers in a grand piano shell.
That is, a gutted grand piano (or a mock-up), with the Nord Stage on the keybed.
I mean... That instrument can sound like it's made by Gods in Heavens, but it looks like one of those Dali semi-molten clocks that got turned into a violin and would subtly message "kILL mEeeEe" through any music played through it.
Aesthetics of musical instruments matter a lot, both to the performers and the audience.