Timpani

Timpani or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are <a href="/facts/Musical_instrument/UMSjL1Ks">musical instruments</a> in the <a href="/facts/Percussion_instrument/YojwA7VR">percussion family</a>. A type of <a href="/facts/Drum/YIPLomXA">drum</a> categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a <a href="/facts/Membranophone/qoh3VR84">membrane</a> called a <a href="/facts/Drumhead/jfoEbSsM">head</a> stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of <a href="/facts/Copper/I8PEE8oX">copper</a>. Thus timpani are an example of kettledrums, also known as vessel drums and semispherical drums, whose body is similar to a section of a sphere whose cut conforms the head. Most modern timpani are pedal timpani and can be tuned quickly and accurately to specific pitches by skilled players through the use of a movable foot-pedal. They are played by striking the head with a specialized <a href="/facts/Beater_(percussion)/h8JVJ6QH">beater</a> called a timpani stick or timpani mallet. Timpani evolved from <a href="/facts/Military_drums/VD0y2H7W">military drums</a> to become a staple of the <a href="/facts/European_classical_music/oglVXmSb">classical</a> <a href="/facts/Orchestra/C5Ha0d0G">orchestra</a> by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of <a href="/facts/Musical_ensemble/qgdjWFtC">ensembles</a>, including <a href="/facts/Concert_band/VcD708Jd">concert bands</a>, <a href="/facts/Marching_band/cMY7MCU8">marching bands</a>, <a href="/facts/Orchestra/C5Ha0d0G">orchestras</a>, and even in some <a href="/facts/Rock_bands/qgdjWFtC">rock bands</a>.
Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of which is timpano, though the singular may also be referred to as a timpanum. In English the term timpano is only widely in use by practitioners: A single drum is often referred to as a timpani, leading many to incorrectly pluralize the word as timpanis. A musician who plays timpani is a timpanist.

Timpani open-in-new

Timpani