Well I went to my violin shop and rented a 15" viola. The guy that helped me was a violinist turned violist and he let me try out a 15" and a 16". Both could almost work with violin intervals, but the 16" instrument felt very heavy. Now the goal is to learn some Bach by June.
The Bach solo for viola would be the transcription of the six cello suites, which are mostly accessible (except the last two). He told me there is a transcription of the Bach for solo violin (which is almost accessible for the advanced violinists) for the viola. He would occasionally play those just to annoy his wife, a violin teacher.
@kpdooty awww the 5th one is fun! it did break a couple mandolin strings for me though, when i forgot to give it a couple days and just retuned it up a whole step like a guitar
@mhoemmen haha I've never scordatura'd anything...will just stick with the easier ones!
@kpdooty 5th suite is WAY easier with the scordatura! somehow it connects with something in Guitar Brain and feels just like reading tabulature. i find it a lot easier than the 4th suite (for whose prelude i spent so very much time on octave mandolin trying to pick one of the equally obnoxious fingering options).