Drum Dials are terrific tools to use to make sure that your timpani head has even tension all the way around at each tuning lug. Having equal tension makes it easier to clear the head and to make the drum sound in tune with itself. Using a Drum Dial can be confusing at times because […]
Timpani Ranges: What You Need to Know
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A typical set of timpani consists four drums of graduated sizes; 32”, 29”, 26”, 23”. These sizes of drums refer to a set of Yamaha balanced action drums and different manufacturers of timpani will have similar yet slightly different sizes. But, virtually all sets of four timpani consist of a large drum for low notes, […]
Why the Timpani Pedal Slips and How to Avoid it
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Timpani pedal slips are a common problem for balanced action timpani like Yamahas and Ludwig Symphonic drums and what happens is that the head tension and the pedal spring tension aren’t in sink so the pedal won’t stay in place as you play or when you tune. Timpani Pedal Won’t Stay on Lowest note Here’s […]
How to Tune Timpani Using Piano Chords
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To tune the timpani the player will acquire the desired note from a tuning fork, piano, marimba, or some other pitched instrument and then try to tune their drum to that pitch. The younger player or a player that hasn’t had a lot of experience in tuning might find it difficult to ‘zero in’ on […]
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 […]
