Re: Timpani Technique
Saul Goodman, the tympanist for the New York Philharmonic, has the classic, standard instruction book. I studied tympani for about 8 years, along with other percussion instruments.
The stick technique is thumbs up, so the mallets can bounce freely and you can play with the rebound. You don't have to hit the drums per se; you just control the vibration. You have to do a single stroke roll and catch the wave of sound, which usually means a slower roll than you're used to. If you approach it like a drum set, you'll choke the sound of the tympani and fight with it. When a roll is done well, you just hear the rumbling sound, not the mallet strokes. I was taught to imagine you're listening to the sound off in the corner of the room. Also, with each stroke you imagine you are pulling sound out from the depth of the drum, not smacking the head.
Good luck! |