Musical Performance

The timpani are different because they can be tuned to a definite pitch. The timpani shell looks like a very large bowl made of copper. The head is stretched across the top of the bowl. The player is able to tune the timpani by pushing on a foot pedal attached to a tuning mechanism inside the drum. Since each timpani can only be tuned to four or five different pitches, the instruments are used in sets. As many as five drums of various sizes may be played by one drummer (timpanist). Continue Reading »

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One of the most fascinating families of instruments is found in the very last row of the orchestra—the percussion section. Any instrument whose sound is made by striking or used only for special sound effects, or is not a member of one of the other instrument families is naturally assigned to the percussion section. Since it contains instruments of many different shapes, sizes, and sounds, the percussion section has been given the nickname “kitchen of the orchestra“. Continue Reading »

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