All wind and orchestra players have experienced that dreaded second, or even third, part assignment. To many, it means another concert cycle of playing "backup" while whoever is assigned to the first part gets a more interesting line. But contrary to popular belief, it doesn't mean you're a bad player. Sometimes it's because the director thinks your sound is better with that part, sometimes it's because you got to play first last time and it's someone else's turn now. Whatever the reason, it's not something to be upset about. You can learn a lot from being that support sound, both musically and in everyday life.
1. You don't need to be heard to be effective
Every musician just wants to be heard amid the sounds of 40 other players around them. Yet as a second, it always feels like the conductor is always giving you a signal to quiet down. Your specific sound doesn't need to cut through all the others in order to do its job, which is to help build the sound. Without the bricks at the bottom, there is no tower. Fitting in to that supporting sound makes you more effective than if you were blasting those whole notes for the whole hall to hear.
2. Without your support, the firsts can't be successful
Music is made up of chords, groups of notes played at the same that ideally sound good together. Usually, the lower part has what's called the root of the chord; the bottom note that the other notes are built on top of. Without the root, there is no chord. The firsts should really be thanking us for making them look so good.
3. Patience
Whether you're counting rests or playing the same pattern over and over again for measures on end, playing a supporting part can be tedious and requires a lot of patience. But, music has direction, and even if you're playing the same quarter note repeatedly, it's going somewhere. I've learned to take my time with those passages and let them grow because the phrase sounds much better if it has a direction and a purpose.
4. Teamwork
Being part of a team means knowing when it's your time to be a leader and knowing when it's time to step back and let someone else take over. It's listening to everyone's ideas and supporting them. It's doing your best to make the group look better, not just yourself. All of this can be summarized in a second's role, the orchestra's secret weapon.
5. Listening can be more important than playing
Great performers are better listeners than they are players. Seconds have to listen to the leaders in the section and follow what they're doing. You hear the principal getting louder, you match your energy to theirs. You hear them take a breath in a different place than usual, you make sure there isn't a gap in the sound.
6. Communication
Taking the idea of listening a step further, communicating with the other players is essential to making the ensemble sound like one cohesive unit. That may be responding to what others are doing or stepping up and communicating your own idea. If the firsts are rushing their fast passage, emphasize your downbeats so they know to reel it back in. Playing in an ensemble not only teaches musicians when they should take the lead and when they should back down but how to do it and be effective.
7. Without a solid foundation, there is no melody
You don't start learning an instrument in elementary school and immediately playing Beethoven symphonies. You start by learning how to produce a good sound, then work on scales, and simple melodies. You can't do anything in life without first doing some boring stuff you don't want to do. In music and in life, the low notes help make the high notes seem even better.
