A viola is a bowed string instrument that resembles a violin but is slightly larger and has its four strings tuned to CGDA instead of GDAE, thereby resulting in a deeper and less bright sound. Since the 18th century, the viola has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello, and plays an important role in the strings section of orchestral music. The playing technique differs from that for the violin both because the notes are spread out further along the fingerboard, thus often necessitating different fingerings, and because its heavier bow and less responsive strings require slightly different bowing techniques.