I thought I may as well go straight to the source and ask percussionist. I'm a composer by nature, but I have a distinct problem. I emailed a symphony orchestra timpanist my question and they haven't gotten back to me in over three months. The question really is a simple one. When using pedaled timpani, when pressing the pedal, at what interval does that raise the pitch?

Thanks in advance all you percussionist.

I've played percussion only rarely, but I do have an excellent book, Blatter's "Instrumentation and Orchestration", which lists timpani characteristics as follows:

Sizes .... Range ... Comment
(inches) low-high
32, 30 .. D - A .... from below bass clef to A space
29, 28 .. F - C
26, 25 .. Bb- F
23 ........ D - A
20 ........ F - C .... piccolo timp; top note is middle C

The pedal moves a pointer over a scale that indicates the note that will be produced, provided the taps (turnscrews) have been adjusted correctly. Blatter notes that the best sound is produced at the middle of the range. At the top it is "hard and pingy"; at the bottom it is "long and rumbling" and "the attacks sound dull..".

If you are writing for a particular ensemble, ask them what sizes of timp they own.

It depends on how far you press the pedal. The further down it goes, the more the pitch rises. If you move it only a little bit you can get a very small difference in pitch.

However, the note markings on that scale are adjustable. The player adjusts them before the concert/rehearsal so that the pointer points at the correct one for each note. Even then, the markings are used only as a basic guide, and the player will take any opportunity to fine-tune by ear so that the pitch is correct. The exception is when there's a very quick change and you need to get a "good enough" pitch in a hurry.

Thanks Kenm. It's almost funny that you mention Blatter's book as I am waiting on it to arrive. But I'm writing a special piece of music for my gf and I's 4 year anniversary, and I want it to be in tip top shape for her. I thank you for your reply, you have just reinforced my assumption that Blatter's book is the right book to look in. Good thing I got a good copy for $5.99 .oO(thanks ebay).



The question is though, can pressing that pedal give it that range of perfect 5th?

This is actually a new question, right?

If the note the drum is tuned to at the moment is a perfect 5th or more below its highest note, then yes, you can go up a perfect 5th if you press the pedal far enough. There is no other realistic way of altering the note in performance - nobody is going to tighten the taps as an alternative.