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TME Podcast Season 4, Ep. 16: Learning the Basics About the Timpani

Description: The Timpani is an exciting percussion instrument because it can influence the rhythmic ideas of a musical piece as well as contribute to the harmonic and melodic development of it. The drum can play a series of different pitches and today we are going to explore how it is used in the performance setting as we learn about the basics of the Timpani.

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  • Playing Position

  • Understanding The Basic Physics Of The Timpani

  • The Three Main Parts To The Timpani

  • Timpani Range

  • Timpani Tuning

To recap, to tune the timpani:

  • Step 1 - Listen to the pitch source

  • Step 2 - Have the pedal at the bottom of the range.

  • Step 3 - Tap the drum twice. First time to hear where the pitch is and second time, after the pedal is slid up quickly, to check if the pitch is correct.

  • Step 4 - If the pitch was noticeably off, then repeat the process until the pitch was correct.

  • Troubleshooting The Timpani

  • Sliding Pedal

  • Buzzing

  • Uneven Pitch

  • Timpani Set-Up

  • Timpani Grip

  • The Basic Stroke

  • Conclusion

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