Transcript Timpani Masterclass

Timpani Masterclass
Norwin Percussion
Master Class #1
A few clarifications to start…
Timpani-the word is plural and refers to the
complete set of drums; the word “timpanies”
does not exist.
Timpani are also called Kettledrums
The low drum is on the left.*
Every drum must be tuned before you play.
One drum is called a timpano.
The drum is NOT a table!
There are two common spellings; timpani and
tympani.
Other languages:
FrenchTimbales
GermanPauken
ItalianTimpani
The drums…
Timpani usually are seen in groups of 2 or 4. Beginner to Intermediate
level use 2. High school and college use 4. The fifth and smallest drum is
used in college and professional level playing.
Drum Sizes
 The sizes of the drums are in increments of 3
inches. 32, 29, 26, 23, and the occasional 20.
29”
32”
26”
23”
Ranges on each drum
 For the lowest note on each drum,
take a B flat major chord and put it
into first inversion. i.e. D, F, Bb, D
 For the highest note on each drum,
take an F major chord and put it into
first inversion. i.e. A, C, F, A
 Therefore the ranges are:
32”
29”
26”
23”
D^A
F^C
Bb^F D^A
Another way to look at it…
Each drum gets a perfect fifth.
DEFGAB CDEFGA
b
29”
32”
26”
23”
Playing area on the drums
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The appropriate playing area on the timpani is
roughly 1/4-1/3 of the way towards the center
from the rim.
29”
32”
26”
23”
Tuning the drums
Start by finding the pitch you want by playing the nearest
mallet instrument or piano. Try to avoid pitch pipes.
Try staying near the lower end of the instrument to get a
better representation of the actual note you want.
After you hum the note, strike the drum once and move
the pedal up in pitch by pushing down the toe.
Eventually you might flick the drum with your finger
instead of striking the drum.
You will hear the pitch slowly rise
When you think you have found your pitch, play the note
again on the marimba and double check by striking the
drum one final time. If the drum head is tuned well, you
can sing into the drum and if the same pitch rings back
to you, then it is in tune with your singing.
Once you have all your drums tuned, play all notes in a
row on the marimba, lowest to highest, and then play the
drums lowest to highest and double check.
Remembering Intervals
• A Fourth is “Here Comes
the Bride”
• A Fifth is “Twinkle, Twinkle
little star”
Sitting versus standing
Sitting
Standing
1. Ease of changing Pitches
1. Better playing angle*
2. More comfortable
2. Easier Movement on faster
passages
Most high school, college, and professionals prefer to sit
due to the pitch changes involved with higher level music.
The most important thing is to sit correctly. You should sit
on the edge of the stool with your weight distributed
between your feet and lower abdomen…no swinging feet.
Grips
 The French grip is achieved by turning
the hand over so the thumbs are on top
 The German grip is the exact grip as the
regular snare drum grip where the back
of the hand is flat and facing upward
 The Americanized version of these grips
is somewhere in between
The stroke…
The timpani stroke is quite difficult to master.
Because of the nature of the drum, we must
constantly lift the sound out of the head. The
stroke is called legato which means connected
and smooth. The most incorrectly performed
part of the stroke is the follow through. Instead
of catching the stick with our back fingers, we
must pull the stick head up with our wrist.
Matt’s example
The angle of the stroke
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Our ultimate goal is to hit the flattest part of
the mallet head
If we are too high (standing) then we are
hitting the thin part of the mallet head
If we are too low, then we will be hitting the
rim

When playing
the timpani, the
head of the
mallets should
be about the
length of a
dollar bill apart.
This allows a
better vibration
of the head
after each
stroke.
Muffling
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Always muffle on the exact spot that
you hit the drum.
If you muffle too close to the rim or
too close to the center, the note will
keep ringing.
Kick out your last three fingers and
hold the stick with your fulcrum
(thumb and index finger).
Push gently into the head.
Try to avoid contact sound with the
fingers.
Rolls
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Our initial thought is to roll too fast.
Slow down your hands and listen for tone.
The lower the drums, the slower the roll
The higher the drums, the faster the roll
This allows the appropriate tone to be
produced on the drum
Music example #12 drums (26”& 29”)
Cross sticking
When cross sticking, keep your hands
centered in front of you. Think wrist over wrist
instead of reaching. A cross stick is notated
with an x either with or without a circle around
it. x The main reason to cross stick on
Timpani is to avoid double sticking.
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Always
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Cover the timpani when you finish playing
Keep your mallets stored in a mallet bag
Use smart, logical sticking to where you never
have 3 strokes of the same hand in a row on
moderate to fast passages
Lower the pedals completely after playing
Never
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Use the drums as a table
Use a buzz or double stroke roll on the drum
Tune or un-tune the tension rods
Play on un-tuned drums
Put all your weight on the stool
Musical
example #2 –
4 drums

Follow the
music.
Watch for
cross sticking
and doubles.