TIMPANI

The drum head, stretched over the top of the timpani, is made either of synthetic plastic or cow hide. This skin can be stretched or loosened to achieve the required pitch by the means of a foot pedal found at the bottom of the instruments. The tension of the skin affects pitch. The looser the head, the lower the note. Timpani also come in different sizes - the smaller the timpani, the higher the range of notes.

As each work progresses, the timpanist will typically have to retune his timpani, making sure that the tuning process is inaudible to the audience. Thus the timpanist can be sometimes be seen to place his ear very close to the timpani, tapping it lightly at the same time.

Drumsticks can be varied to get the required tone quality, volume or note attack. Drumstick heads can be covered with felt, sponge, cork, or just left on its own as plain wood. Hard drumsticks produce a sharp and dry sound while spongy ones produce a warmer, mellower sound.