Timpani rolls are hand to hand single stroke rolls and are unlike snare drum that are bounce or buzz rolls. To develop a good timpani roll you must: have a nice and relaxed grip play on the optimal playing spot on the drum let your mallets and hands and wrists rebound off of the timpani […]
Timpani Grip and a Simple Exercise
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There are two fundamental timpani mallet grips in use among the worlds’ timpani players. I use the French Grip which has a thumbs up and palms facing each other profile and there are many German Grip players who play with a palms down and thumbs to the side profile. The French Grip that I play […]
How to Play Timpani Rolls from Soft to Loud and Back to Soft
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The ability to play a smooth and controlled roll at all dynamics and throughout a crescendo and diminuendo is extremely important for the timpanist to develop. It is very common for composers to rely on the timpani to lead the entire orchestra in dynamics and for the timpani to create drama and mood with carefully […]
How to Tune Timpani
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I am often surprised to learn that many people and not only non musicians do not know that the timpani are tuned instruments. The four drum set of timpani has a range of almost two octaves from low C on the big 32” up to a high A on the smallest (23”) drum of the […]
How to Tune Timpani While You Play
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In this video I demonstrate how to tune Timpani while playing. This is an important technique to practice so that you can learn where your pedals need to be for the notes that are playable on your drums and it helps you with your ability to accurately tune your drums very quickly. Tuning quickly is […]
How to Develop a Consistent Sound with Both Hands On Timpani
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In this video I’ll show you a short and seemingly easy exercise meant to develop consistent sound between your two hands. It’s very important that both your right and left hand sound the same when you’re playing timpani, or you will sound like you’re playing on two different instruments. Timpani Exercise to Develop a Consistent […]
How to Start and Stop Your Timpani Roll with Either Hand
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It is very important to develop the technique and skill to start and stop your timpani roll with either hand for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is that the music you are playing requires you to start your roll on one drum and finish on another drum which might be to […]
