Exploring the
ORCHESTRA
Timpani
Musical Section:
Percussion (<p style="font-weight: 400">Instruments that produce sound by hitting, shaking or scraping. Other instruments in this family include: celesta, chimes, crotales, cymbals, glockenspiel, maracas, marimba, piano, snare drum, Tam Tam, triangle, tambourine, vibraphone, xylophone and lots of others!</p>) . Other instruments in this family: Bass Drum, Celesta, Chimes, Cymbals, Piano, Tambourine, Triangle, Xylophone
About the Timpani
What it looks like
Timpani are big drums that make deep, loud sounds when you hit them with a soft stick. But what makes timpani special is that each drum plays a note, like a cello or tuba does. You can change the note by turning a knob, just like you can make your voice go higher or lower.
Timpani are used in music to let you know when something dramatic or exciting is happening. Look out! Here comes the king! Or—Oh no! Here comes a storm! Or—Phew! Here comes the heroine is about to save the day!
Did you know?
There are usually four timpani drums in an orchestra played by one person. Timpani have been a part of the orchestra for over 300 years. They are also called "kettledrums" because of their round, bowl-like shape.
How to Play
Mini Maestro
A typical timpani setup is four drums, arranged in front of the player from low to high.
After the player has tuned each drum to the note they want, they use a mallet to strike the head of the drum about 3–5 inches from the rim. If you don’t want the note to last very long, you can place your hand on the drum to stop the sound.
Young Maestro
Timpani don’t usually play lots of fast melodies—they mostly play important harmonic notes, especially the tonic (the first note of the key of the song) and the dominant (the fifth note of the key of the song.)
A typical timpani setup is four drums, arranged in front of the player from low to high. Each drum covers only a limited pitch range, so during a piece, the player uses a foot pedal if they need to change the note the timpani plays.
After the player has tuned each drum to the note they want, they use a mallet to strike the head of the drum about 3–5 inches from the rim for the clearest tone. If you don’t want the note to last very long, you can put your hand on the head of the drum to stop the sound.
Hey, Somebody Wake Up the Timpanist!
Because the timpani is often saved only for moments when the composer wants to create a dramatic or suspenseful moment, the timpani player sometimes has to wait around a long time before it’s their turn to play. Sometimes a really long time.
In Mahler’s Second Symphony, the timpanist has to wait over one hundred measures before they play for the first time. That means they have to count all those measures to make sure they come in at the right time otherwise it would sound like an elephant stomping into a tea party!
