[Sean Francis]

Does anybody have any texts or videos they would recommend that deal with Timpani Technique. I had a scholarship audition last week, and I was told that my timpani skills could use some work; I've never actually had formal training on the timpani, so I'm not exactly sure where to start the improvement.

Thanks everyone!

[shazaam]

All that I'v elearned is sinle stroke roll, 2-3in. from rim is the playing area.

[CJDG]

I am not an expert on timpani... but from my experience there is a dead spot where the drum will not resonate and sound like a short quick muffled hit. Some people never play in this zone. But some music calls for you to hit the timpani there. I can remember a piece of music showing the note with a dot over the top to refer to hitting the center of the drum.

I can't recall but I want to say it is the inner 1/3 of the timpani that will give you this muted/dead sound... so the closer to the rim is where you want to be. I would say the ideal spot would be on the ring of 2/3 the size of the drum you are playing on.

A roll on timpani is usually performed without double strokes. Just R to L. I have never seen
someone playing timpany employ double strokes... then again my exposure is kinda limited here.

[Tainojim]

Timpani Solo - Trent Shuey

YouTube - Timpani Solo - Trent Shuey

[thepope]

Well, timpani are very delicate instruments, and actually there's a lot to think bout whilst playing them. For example, how fast should I roll (never double strokes, because the drum vibrates enough as it is) usually if the note is lower in the range of a drum, the strokes would be slower. Don't think that rolling faster will make you play louder, (well it will, but it will tire you out) just raise the height of your mallets, that will suffice. Tuning, use a tuning fork or a pitch pipe. Mallets: always choose the mallet that you think is a tad too hard. You'll be surprised that the attack decays quickly, and on a recording, it sounds normal, if not a bit too fluffy. Don't play too close too the rim, because that will give you a thin sound. (Try 1/3 from the outside)
Vic Firth is always the way to go for mallets.

Pope

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[Tainojim]

I couldn't agree with you more.

Playing timpani drums is an art and lots of passion is involved.

Not some drum competition for those who are not familiar with them.

I have never played them but I love the sound of them.

[thepope]

That's why only the greatest percussionists are chosen for the position of Principal Timpani. Now another controversy is whether to play seated or standing. In my opinion, standing is the way to go. (Percussionists usually practice for hours on end, so you have to get exercise somewhere :P) It allows your body to communicate with the drums better, to emote your playing more, trust me, sitting will make your playing a bit lifeless and mundane. The only time you should be seated while playing is when you have to pedal the drums a lot in the middle of pieces. And even when you're done that segment, you should push the stool/chair out of the way. Which beats mentioning, make sure your stool is high enough, (32" roughly) Nothing looks more immature than playing while sitting on a lower stool or chair.

[Gonz]

There's probably more to learn than we could post in a thread. Short of actual instruction, your best bet is grab a book or two on how to play. There's alot more to it than people realize. I spent an entire semester in college just learning timpani technique, and hardly scratched the surface of what you can learn.


One of the first things you'll need to realize, besides where to strike the head, is the proper grip on the mallets. As opposed to a normal match grip where your hands are turned so your palm faces down, with timpani mallets your thumb will be on top. I may be wrong, but part of the reason is you simply can be more delicate like that and you don't need the power that a normal match grip can attain from forearm movement.

And having a good ear and the ability to properly tune the timpani is necessary.

[slingerland59]

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!

[Bo Eder]

Benjamin Podemski, author of the Podemski snare drum method, covers playing tympani in his method book to a very small degree. He has pictures anyway of the two main grips: French and German (French is the thumbs up method, and German looks like regular matched grip). Vic Firth himself was the principal tympanist for the Boston Orchestra (I forget which one), he has written several texts on the subject too.