WHO’S WHO AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING UP THERE?

The Orchestra
The orchestra is a machine...a gigantic steam engine. It makes lots of noise and once it gets going it has tremendous force. Professional orchestras (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion) are made of individuals who have spent years in training (much like athletes). They have mastered their instruments and play at a virtuoso level. At rehearsals, egos abound and at times, emotions flare, but nothing can surpass the energy of 50+ musicians playing at the top of their game in a concert setting... that includes Zeppelin!

The Conductor
Artistically, it’s the conductor’s job is to inspire the players to “give it all they’ve got” - like a coach. Technically, his job is to keep the beat. While most professional musicians can keep a steady beat, 55 or so people are more than likely to fall apart with no conductor. To keep the orchestra together, the conductor has a set “beat pattern” that the orchestra members know - kind of a sign language. (A quick lesson - When a conductor moves his arm straight down in front of him, this usually indicates the first beat of the measure, which is called the “downbeat”.) Measures usually have anywhere from 1-6 beats in them, but of course, there are exceptions.

The conductor is also a traffic cop. His hand movements tell the orchestra where to go and how to get there. He’ll point to a musician a beat or two before their solo. This is called a “cue”. The size of the conductor’s gestures usually indicates how loud he wants the orchestra to play (dynamics). While dynamics and tempo changes are marked in the music, it’s up to the conductor to interpret these markings.

The violin section usually has the melody...when they don’t they often are playing a lot of fast tricky runs (or riffs). There are so many violins, that they are divided up into two sections. These two sections generally have slightly different parts that harmonize well together. Violinists have lots of notes, which means that they have to practice a lot. Sometimes up to six hours a day. That’s why they have that funny mark on the left side of their necks.

The leader of the violins is the concertmaster (He sits in the first chair of violins closest to the audience and directly under the conductor). If the orchestra were a company, the conductor would be the president and the concertmaster would be the vice president. The concertmaster is in charge of making sure that the string players’ bows all go up and down at the same time (this is called bowing). He also has to know the pieces well enough to conduct them in case the conductor gets really excited and falls off his podium during the concert.

The violas are the inside or alto voice. They play beautiful harmonies that blend in so well that sometimes you don’t know they are there. Violas are slightly bigger than violins. They are underrated instruments and their players often teased. For example: “What's the definition of perfect pitch?" Throwing a viola into a dumpster without hitting the rim or another favorite “What is the range of a viola?” As far as you can kick it.

The cello certainly got a lot more hip when Yo-Yo Ma got famous. He’s the Tiger Woods of cello playing (check out his Bach: Cello Suites). Cellos usually sit directly across from the first violins and play the bass and tenor lines. They have a sweet, dark tone and are one of the most romantic instruments in the world.

The bass section is full of really fun, laid back people. They play standing up or propped against a stool. Their instruments are huge and do not come apart so, bass players usually drive SUVs or station wagons to accommodate their instrument’s size. They don’t usually have solos because they’re job is to create low, rich sonorities; hence, you can almost feel a bass sound more than hear it.

Great pieces for just string sections are Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

The flutes are like the violins because they play the melody most of the time and play a lot of notes. The flute has a lovely and delicate sound, which explains why most 8-year old girls want to play it. The piccolo, on the other hand, is down right shrill and piercing. Some people really like it for just those reasons. Today’s metal flute is considered a “woodwind” because flutes were originally made from wood. Many piccolos however are still made of wood.

Oboes are an interesting case. The reed (double reed) is very temperamental and greatly effected by the humidity level, altitude and temperature. This makes oboists fanatical and obsessive. If played well, the sound of the oboe is extraordinarily beautiful, if played poorly, it sounds like a duck being tortured.

The english horn is usually played by an oboist in the section. It is pitched lower than the oboe, it’s a bit longer and it looks like it has an egg is stuck in the bell. It also has a double reed, but the english horn is easier to blow into than the oboe, so this instrument is very appealing to many oboists.

The clarinet, sometimes referred to as a licorice stick, is an extremely popular instrument. It doesn’t cost much more than a good suit and it is welcomed in both jazz and classical settings. The clarinet has a single reed, which makes clarinetists a lot more easy-going than oboists! The clarinet family also includes the bass clarinet (and octave below the clarinet) and the e-flat clarinet (The clarinet’s version of the “piccolo”. Listen to the end of Richard Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks for some fun e-flat clarinet licks).

The saxophone is usually considered a jazz instrument since it is not often used in the orchestra. However, in rare cases, like in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition the sax can add exceptional color to the wind section. While we are on the subject, saxes come in may shapes and sizes...soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.

The bassoon, also a double reed instrument, is known as the “Clown of the Orchestra” because it is often heard playing comical parts. (Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice) The bassoon can play very low notes and often doubles the cellos and the basses. It also functions as the bass voice for the woodwind section. A little known fact – old bassoons make excellent and unusual floor lamps.

The contra bassoon is much larger than the bassoon and often is wrapped around itself because there is so much tubing. It is pitched a full octave below the bassoon and its awkward fingerings have been mastered by only a few bassoonists. The contra bassoon is not used that often in the orchestra, but when it is, the contra lends a deep and unmistakably reedy sound to the bass part. The contra bassoon has a very large wide reed. The player’s whole body vibrates when he/she plays it, which explains why many bassoonists liken it to ridin’ a Harley!

To get acquainted with the woodwinds try Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Trumpet players are generally handsome people, a little bit cocky and well aware of their role to “lead the charge”. They have a very demanding position in the orchestra. If they mess up, everyone in the hall can hear it. It’s a greatly sought after high-pressure, position ideal for type “A” personalities.

The sound of the french horn sound can take a listener’s breath away. Anything written by John Williams (which was already written by Richard Strauss) is proof of that. The french horn is nothing short of magnificent. You might notice that horn players put their right hand in the horn’s bell. They do that to mute or change the tone color of a note. It’s a very exact science that no one else in the orchestra understands it (or cares about). It’s a little creepy.

Trombone players have the difficult job because they have to be able to go from 0 to 60 at any time. There is a lot of down time in the trombone section. Consequently, at rehearsals, trombone sections play while everyone else is taking a break...generally some famous Bach choral...this is very annoying to the other orchestra members. Lots of pieces don’t call for trombone at all. Therefore, most of the time trombonists only show up for the major piece, which is usually programmed after the intermission. The trombone player finds his notes by adjusting the slide.

The bass trombone is basically the same as the trombone but lower in sound. The bass trombone player sits next to the tuba and he/she can often be seen reading magazines during rehearsal or playing tic-tac-toe with the tuba player during concerts.

Tuba parts exist primarily to lay the foundation for the brass section and the orchestra. There are some lovely solos for the tuba, which generally require the player to play higher than is comfortable. Most tuba players puff out their cheeks and turn red in the face. The rest of the orchestra doesn’t understand this, but since the tuba sits behind almost everyone in the orchestra, no one has to look at him. It is universally understood that the tuba chair is a pretty lonely position.

Some monster works for the brass section include: Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man, and any Wagner Opera or Mahler Symphony.

Here’s a small sampling of what a percussionist might be asked to play at any moment.

A Brief History of the (Classical) World

(Pardon our brevity)

The Boys’ Club

Small bios on big composers

Classical Speak

“Adagio”a guide to classical terms

Classical Starter Kit

Beethoven and beyond... but not too far

Classical 24/7

A movement for every mood

What Are They Doing Up There?

Anatomy of an orchestra

Now That I’m Here...

Concert etiquette for the rest of us

The Recycled Riff

Rock folks aren’t just lifting from each other

We Couldn’t Have Said It Better

Quotable quotes from all walks