Timpani

Timpani made their first appearance in Europe at the end of the 13th century. Initially used during military and official ceremonies, they were not introduced into the orchestra until the 17th century. If Beethoven imparted majestic acclaim to the timpani making them resound with authority in the finale of the Emperor Concerto, or in his 9th symphony, it is Berlioz who polished their scores and musical interplay..

The 19th century was a period of experimentation with materials for instrument construction : this brought about timpani with a mechanical peddle, known as th "Dresden". It opened up a rich future through which Bartok explored all possibilities.

Presently there are two mechanical systems available :

• The system from Premier, represents an improvement over the first Dresden systems with its mechanical locking
•  The system from Ludwig was invented in 1920s
  

The "Premier" system

The "Ludwig" system

 Some timpani are equipped with a tension changing mechanism :

Suggested maintenance

Simply by playing timpani can deform their skin. Therefore even in the absence of impact, when we do not see that they are damaged, they can become defective..

Excessive dust and dirt on the timpani's mechanical parts can contribute to a premature wearing of its moving parts.

A frequently asked question, to which there is no unanimous answer ::
What position should the pedal be in when not in use ?

For animals skins :

We have to consider the hydrometry to make the choice. An excesdsive pressure applied to dry natural head could tear it. It's suggested to choose a low pedal position to stretch the skin slighhtly.

For plastic skins :

It is preferable to leave the pedal in a median position.