Thinking of taking up the viola? Be warned: you are in for a life of confusing clefs, ridicule and constant accompanying roles. Here are the 10 worst things about being a violist... Great idea, genius ...

At the top of every score, and the beginning of every stave, repeated on every line, is a symbol that, to seasoned musicians, becomes so familiar as to be invisible. The humble but mighty clef. Clef ...