Timpani Tuning: Developing Aural Acuity by Al Payson
There are two aspects of learning to tune timpani.
There are two aspects of learning to tune timpani. One is acquiring a basic knowledge of notation and of the instruments themselves. This includes:
1. Learning to read bass clef;
2. Learning key signatures and scales in all keys;
3. Learning the ranges of the drums;
4. Learning to determine the most appropriate drums to use for the pitches required.
One can consider the above as learning the "mechanics" of tuning.
The other aspect of learning to tune timpani involves the actual accurate tuning of the drums to specific pitches. The importance of this aspect of timpani performance cannot, in my estimation, be overemphasized to the student. In my first timpani lesson the teacher told me that 90% of timpani playing is tuning. After a long professional career I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.
There are many steps in music theory and ear training which must be mastered in order to accurately tune the drums in any and all performance situations. I will focus on the first step in developing the necessary aural acuity for playing timpani, which is to accurately match the pitch on a drum to a pitch source.
Before discussing this topic, a preliminary issue that might be addressed is that many students find they have rather limited practice time on the timpani at school. This issue can be at least partly resolved in one or both of these ways:
Roto-toms make excellent practice timpani, both for technique and tuning. The 8" and 6" dia. are the same range (one octave higher) as the 29" and 26" timpani, respectively. If the school has these instruments, the student can take them into a small practice room, or better yet, take them home.
There are many computer software programs on the market for developing pitch recognition, and are quite inexpensive ($10.00 – 15.00 range).
Electronic Tuners
These devices can rarely be used to tune timpani during performance, because the internal microphone cannot distinguish between the sound of the drum and the ensemble. Also, of course, the tuner cannot discern if the ensemble drifts away from A440.
However, having stated the above, the electronic tuner is invaluable in learning to match a pitch on the drums to a pitch source. This is because without the tuner the student has only the teacher at his lesson to tell him the accuracy of each tuning. With the tuner it is like having an infallible tuning coach at every practice session. Thus, progress in developing aural acuity for tuning timpani is accelerated dramatically. Also, the tuner is excellent as an aid in balancing timpani heads.
Using a tuner to tune timpani is not straightforward. The reasons, along with their compensating techniques, are as follows:
The initial strike tone (impact sound) of the mallet striking the head momentarily confuses the tuner analyzer. To minimize strike tone, strike the head softly, and with a soft mallet (not a finger).
The sound duration of timpani is rather short. Therefore, one must learn to reiterate strokes with just barely enough frequency to keep the tuner needle "afloat." And one soon learns that the smaller the drum the faster the sound decays, so the speed of the stroke reiterations must be adjusted accordingly. It requires just a little experimenting to determine the speed of the reiterations to keep the needle afloat.
The overtone series of a timpani is quite close, approaching noise. The strongest overtone is the 5th above. One consequence is that when tuning, the tuner read-out will occasionally jump to the 5th above the pitch of the head. This is a natural occurrence, and should be disregarded.
Once a student can fairly easily and quickly tune notes on the timpani using the electronic tuner, I give him the following exercise. The purpose of it is to develop in the student the ability to accurately match pitches on timpani to a pitch source, by ear.
1. a) If your tuner has a tone generator, set it to any note (in the same octave as the range of the drum, at first).
b) If your tuner does not have a tone generator, then use another pitch
source, preferably one that encompasses the range of the timpani,
such as a piano.
2. Sound the note and listen to it very carefully. Some timpanists find it helpful to also hum the note in this step.
3. Tune the appropriate drum to that note by ear, without the aid of the tuner or mechanical gauge.
4. Check the pitch of the drum with the tuner.
a) If the pitch is outside of plus or minus 4 cycles per second of A440
(436 – 444), correct the pitch using the tuner, then strike the drum
a few times while at the same time sounding the pitch on the sound
source, and carefully compare the two pitches. Then release the
pedal and return to step #3.
b) If the pitch is within 436 – 444, select a different note and repeat
steps #2, 3 and 4.
Practicing the above exercise even just a few minutes a day will develop the pitch discrimination of even those who consider themselves to be "tone deaf." And learning to match a pitch on timpani to a pitch source is an important pre-requisite to learning more advanced tuning skills.
Al Payson is a retired percussionist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 40 years, and is an elected member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. He has many instructional materials in publication, including Beginning Snare Drum Method.
