Now to take a look at some other Percussion Instruments
TimpaniTimpani look like big polished bowls or upside-down teakettles, which is why they're also called kettledrums. They are big copper pots with drumheads made of calfskin or plastic stretched over their tops.
Timpani are
tuned instruments, which means they can play different notes. The timpanist changes the pitch by stretching or loosening the drumheads, which are attached to a foot pedal. Timpani are a central part of the percussion family because they support rhythm, melody and harmony.
Most orchestras will have four timpani of different sizes and tuned to different pitches and they are usually played by one musician, who hits the drumheads with felt-tipped mallets or wooden sticks.
The timpani player must have a very good ear because they usually need to change the pitches of the drums during performances.
Timpani, commonly referred to as Kettle Drums, are the only drum found in an orchestra, that are
actually tuned to precise notes. Obviously, each timpani can only be tuned to one note, at a time. They are big and very expensive.
Typically orchestras will have 2 or 3, but they may sometimes have 5.
If there are 2, they will be tuned to the 1st and 5th degrees of the key the piece is being played in.
If there are 3, then they are tuned to the 1st, 4th and the 5th dope the piece's key.
So to sound authentic, when selecting timpani on your AR, you should not be tempted to play all 12 notes of the octave. Rather, with the timpani voice on your pedals, limit yourself to playing just the
1st, 4th or 5th degrees of the key you are playing in. Punctuating your music with Timpani in this way, can be very effective.
They also come into their own, especially near the end of a piece, when used as a timpani roll. You also have this option on your Yamaha AR. In an orchestra, the timpani roll is when the player using both hands, will play both mallets on one of the timpani drums. For most of us, it is best to use this feature on our pedals. In the
Pedal Voice, and
Timpani, you will find the two voices,
Timpani and
Timp. Roll.
You can simulate a great ending by playing Timpani like this, (assuming you are playing in the key of C Major):
C G C G C G C G C G CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCThe final run of C notes are effectively a drum roll.
Try it. It will sound familiar to you.
Peter