Chapter 1
The kings of the kitchen
Chapter 2
The mighty kettles that sing
Chapter 3
From battlefield to concert hall
Chapter 4
The physics of making a racket
Chapter 5
Stealing the spotlight
YOUR GOAL
Master of Thunder in the back row
Ch 2 · The mighty kettles that sing
maestro The Timpani
Press on the pedal to bend every pitch, These deep copper kettles make a musical switch!
maestro A copper timpani bowl features tiny hand-hammered dimples beneath a stretched drumhead
maestro A technical vector illustration shows a musician's foot pressing the drum's tuning pedal.
Fun Fact
Timpani ear training: Timpanists must tune their drums silently by putting their ear close to the head and whispering a pitch while the rest of the orchestra is playing.
Glossary
timpani (noun)
Kettledrums, especially when played by one performer in an orchestra. Composer Jean-Baptiste Lully first introduced these instruments to the classical orchestra in his 1675 opera Thésée.
Kettledrums, especially when played by one performer in an orchestra. Composer Jean-Baptiste Lully first introduced these instruments to the classical orchestra in his 1675 opera Thésée.
Quiz
What is the process of balancing the tension of all rods around a timpani head called?
Quiz
What metal is almost exclusively used to construct high-quality orchestral timpani bowls?
Quiz
How do modern timpanists change the pitch of their drums rapidly during a performance?
Quiz
Why does a hand-hammered copper bowl produce a better sound than a smooth, machine-pressed one?