What makes a good 2nd Violinist?
Yes and no. 2nd violin parts can be more difficult to play than 1st violin’s. Not because of the notes required or techniques required, but because 2nd violin is like a ‘middle’ part, with almost every possible thing thrown at them. Sometimes it echoes the 1st violin’s part, sometimes it simply plays accompaniments, sometimes it gets solos, sometimes it’s engaged in musical dialogues between eg. cello + 2nd violin + viola. In other words, the 2nd violin needs to be very flexible and adapt to the different types of sounds required from it. This is why the 2nd violins tend to be the people who know the score back to back and internalise the music. They need to know the music very well to be able to perform according to what the conductor and composer requires of them. 1st violins, on the other hand, is really a case of “I either have the melody or I play the accompaniment”. And most of the time they get the melody. Even when they don’t, they’re usually not the ones involved in complicate
