Following the leader

Often, in orchestra, I sit behind the first chair. Not out of merit particularly , but because there are often four or five of us and that's where I ended up. But I find I take on the playing characteristics of the section leader quite quickly - whether they move a lot or don't, sway in their chair or sit still. At the moment, our illustrious leader is a mover and a swayer, which I have taken on, and I find my vibrato action matching his without me even thinking about it. It's all very unconscious - but also quite natural. In a woodwind section you don't do this really. I suppose your playing motions aren't as obvious as string players' are, we're not trying to matching bowing or anything, and our parts are not meant to blend together in the same way. It's just a different mentality. I really enjoy blending my sound with my section, trying to burrow into the middle of it like a mouse into a soft nest. 

Last week the baby either loved or took exception to the last movement of the Mendelssohn in rehearsal, because it was doing somersaults and thumping away in there. I mentioned that to someone else and they looked at me wide-eyed, 'In time??!!' Let's not get carried away now. But it is very hard to concentrate on anything while that's happening, let me say. 

And in the incredibly-late-on-the-bandwagon department, I've given in to the twitter. Find me here.