Klarinet Archive - Posting 000910.txt from 1998/03

From: GrnShirt <GrnShirt@-----.com>
Subj: A conductor who doesn't "believe" in chairs
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 23:31:29 -0500

I'm in high school and my conductor says that everyone should be able to
play 1st 2nd or 3rd parts and it would be great if everyone would play a
variety of each. This leaves each section to decide for itself who plays first
part. In most sections this works out well, but my clarinet section is not
most sections.
Since no one else in our section has ever expressed any interest in
taking first part (all other sections have had different students ask for it
at different times), my stand partner and I have always taken first part. No
one seemed to mind since they were having trouble with the second and third
part.
Recently, I've discovered that the two clarinets who have been in long
time competition with me and my stand partner are furious with us for not
giving them first part. The question is:

Should we have assumed that these two players wanted to play first part (even
thougfh they seemed perfectly happy with second), or should we have waited
until they asked for it?