Orchestra Player Hierarchy

A very common misconception among learning composers is the ignorance of player hierarchy in an orchestra. Especially with fixed ensembles and classical orchestras, this hierarachy is relatively strict while it is less strict with session orchestras.

There are several implications by that hierarchy on several levels and it is possible to really annoy your players if you don't follow the common practice in these regards. So let's have a closer look at this common practice.

Every instrument that has multiple players in the ensemble (e.g. a Trumpet Section with three players) has a clear hierarchy within itself. We call these players "First Chair Player", "Second Chair Player" etc. or simply "First Chair" etc. The first chair player is always the section leader and has a specific role. This also reflects in the seating.

All the first chair players usually sit closest to the middle axis of the orchestra within their section with the higher chairs sitting in order further towards the outsides.

I've marked all the first chair players on the following image:

This general rule is usually kept in every orchestra seating order. First chairs or section leaders have specific roles:

- They usually get all solo passages for the instrument, especially the lyrical and expressive ones. When one player of the section needs to double with another instrument or section this rule is not applied (e.g. we often see the third trumpet doubling with the horn section on a unison line). However, not following the rule of giving expressive soli to the section leader will in best case cause confusion and in worst case really make your players angry so it is wise to stick to that

- In chordal configurations within their section, if there is no striking reason, the voice order should be maintained in a way that the first player gets the highest note followed by the 2nd player with the next highest note etc. This rule is commonly broken with horns where the odd numbered players usually play high horns and the even numbered players play low horns, so a chord configuration from high to low would usually be 1,3,2,4. This rule is also sometimes broken in the Trumpet session in a similar way (1,3,2) as this sometimes blends the section better together acoustically. As a side note: in Big Band Trumpet sections, the players are usually seated from left to right: 3,1,2,4 for a similar reason: to have the highest lead player embedded in the section and create a more homogenous sound.

- The lead player will never double. Never ask a first chair Flute to double on Piccolo. These players are specialized main instrument players. When you need doubling, start with the player with the highest chair number and work your way up. E.g. If you have 3 flutes and need a piccolo, the third chair should double, if you need a second piccolo, the second chair should double. Stick to this as much as you can. Only in very rare cases and with prior announcement should there be a doubling on the first chair.

- The first chair leads the section. They will always play the note a little longer and a little louder than their fellow section colleagues. They are also the player who set the intonation for the section and are the anchor for the other players in the section to adjust their intonation and phrasing to. These are some fundamental things that I often see translated insufficiently into sample mockups where many composers use the same patch at the same volume for all individual players or try to even the chords out as much as possible. If you listen closely to orchestral recordings, it is sometimes astounding how much more the section leader stands out from their section colleagues. This often has to do with the natural register of the instruments (the higher the louder) but very often ist also a deliberate way of playing.

- In case of unclarity in the notation for the section (e.g. unclear or missing articulation) the first chair will define how something should be played (or of course the conductor). If you as composer or conductor address a section as a whole, you address the first chair player.

- The section leader of the first violins is the concert master, they will be responsible for the tuning of the orchestra, for general communication with the conductor and also trigger any "orchestra stands up, orchestra leaves the stage" cues in concert situations. With the section leaders of the strings, they will also set the bowing patterns for the entire section.

- There are some section leaders that are key players and responsible for the sound of the entire orchestra. Probably the most outstanding role here has the first trumpet player. If he or she doesn't lead properly, the entire brass section or even orchestra will sound weak. I once had a session where the normal first trumpet player was sick and another player helped out. Unfortunately, he was always playing extremely safe and reserved which especially in a brassy film music style really was massively problematic. Not every player is cut out to be a section leader. Aside from the physical conditions (e.g. some brass players are more comfortable playing high and loud than others) it is also a psychological factor at play here. The pressure of being the first player who needs to play soli in exposed contexts or play high and loud so that every wrong note they play will instantly be noticeable indeed requires someone who is willing and comfortable to take that risk.

These strict hierarchies are not so much present in session orchestras. Session players are usually expected to be able to play on every position so it is quite common to see for instance trumpet players regularly switch positions during a session. They sometimes decide on a per cue basis whom of them feels up to play the lead on that cue, distributing the load and physical strain more evenly between themselves. I've seen this more between younger players while more seasoned players rather prefer to stick to their role.

For us as composers/orchestrators, it is best to stick to the common practice rules as good as possible as this will also ensure the best result. If everybody plays in their most comfortable and used role, they will give you the best result compared to some adventurous writing without plausible reason.

I feel that these points are applicable in writing for real orchestra as well as writing for samples. Staying true to the inner dynamics of a section when you mockup something is essential for realism and will eventually create a more convincing mockup.