Timpani sticks are expensive so you need to learn how to take care of them so that they will last a long time. A simple way to maintain your mallets is to trim the fuzz periodically when they need haircuts. Use cuticle scissors to give your mallets a haircut Trim the pieces of felt that […]
How to Play Grace Notes on Timpani
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Grace notes in timpani music aren’t overly common but they happen once in a while so you have to know what to do when you see them. The tendency might be to play them the same way that you’d play them on a snare drum, but that really wouldn’t sound the best. Basically, great notes […]
How to Use Quintuplets to Learn to Play Drum Rolls Ending on Either Hand
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Playing drums of any kind means that the drummer or percussionist needs to develop their ambidexterity which is the ability to do things well with either hand. In timpani playing we often have to start rolls with one hand and end them on the other hand. If we don’t practice this technique we either won’t […]
Warm Up Exercises for Timpani
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Before you do any physical activity you should always do a warm up and since timpani playing is a physical activity you should always warm up before you play. Playing timpani is not just about moving your hands and wrists. It’s also about producing the best sound that you can and warming up properly will […]
Where is the Best Playing Spot on Timpani?
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Let’s face it. Everyone knows that timpani sound incredible! They have a wonderful sound that supports the ensemble both with rhythm and with pitch. But, if the timpanist doesn’t play their drums in the right spot on the head timpani don’t sound good at all. If you play too near the center your drums will […]
Advanced Cross Sticking with Kung Fu Action
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In the last lesson on timpani cross sticking technique, I talked about learning to cross stick and gave a rather simple exercise to practice. It’s necessary to start slowly and work up speed so once you’ve become comfortable with the basics it’s time to kick it in to a higher gear. Cross Sticking with Kung […]
Timpani Roll Practice Exercises: Roll and Control
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This exercise is tricky because you need to maintain the roll on one drum while playing the individual notes at the same time. Your ability to shift from right and lead to left hand lead will improve by practicing this carefully. This exercise continues to develop your rolling technique and it helps you to develop […]
