Percussion · Timpani
Timpani
Kettle drums tuned to definite pitches. A pedal changes the tension of the head, so the timpanist can retune quickly, even during a piece.
- Section
- Percussion
- Family
- Timpani
- Classification
- Membranophone · kettle drum
- Transposition
- None (concert pitch)
- Clefs
- Bass
- Sounding range
- D2 – C4
Parts of the timpani
A set of four pedal timpani. Photo: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
A standard set of four drums (32, 29, 26 and 23 inch) covers about D2 to A3; each drum spans roughly a fifth. A piccolo timpano reaches C4 and higher. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the timpani
- Write the pitches needed at the start and mark retuning in the part, for example “muta in G”. Leave time for it.
- Each drum sounds best in the middle of its range; at the extremes the head is too slack or too tight.
- Rolls are written as tremolo. Specify sticks when it matters: soft, medium, hard or wooden.
- Pedal glissandi are possible and very effective.
History
Kettle drums reached Europe from the Ottoman and Arab world, where they were played on horseback with trumpets. In Baroque orchestras timpani usually played tonic and dominant with the trumpets. Machine and pedal timpani, developed in the 19th century, made fast chromatic retuning practical.
Listen
Key works featuring the timpani. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- R. Strauss – Also sprach Zarathustra (opening)
- Haydn – Symphony No. 103 “Drumroll”
- Beethoven – Symphony No. 9, Scherzo
- Bartók – Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta