An eighth grade memory: A friend was looking at the program from one of my middle school string orchestra concerts. He said, "I see you listed as principal in your section, but I don't see you listed as concertmaster." "The concertmaster is always a violinist," I said. "All orchestras are set up that way." "But, if you didn't have all the sections, you wouldn't have the song," he countered. "It's true that a piece of music needs all of its sections to sound complete," I said. "I play bass, though, so I can't be the concertmaster. The concertmaster is always a violinist." "That hardly seems fair," my friend responded. "If I were you, I'd ask to be named concertmaster."
Obviously, there was no chance of a bass player, or anyone other than a violinist, being named concertmaster. You have to appreciate it when a friend has your back like that, though.
