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 […]
How to Play a Fortissimo Piano Roll with a Crescendo on Timpani
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What do we do when we see the following dynamic notation in a piece we’re playing? The trick is to play the drum loudly with a single note and to be patient. Let the sound almost die away to nothing and then start your roll at that very quiet level of sound. Then take your […]
How to Properly Perform a Timpani Roll
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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 […]
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 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 […]
How to Play Timpani Rolls on Low and High Notes
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There are several factors that have to be kept in mind when trying to produce a nice timpani roll and one of the most important is that your roll speed needs to change if you are playing low notes or high notes. The rule of thumb to follow is that rolls on higher notes and […]
