Timpano
The timpano (Italian; plural timpani) is a kettledrum: a bowl-shaped shell with a head stretched over it. Unlike most drums it has a definite pitch, which is changed through the tension of the head. An orchestra usually has two to four timpani; they are written in bass clef.
- Meaning
- kettledrum with a definite, adjustable pitch
- Italian
- timpano, plural timpani
- In the orchestra
- usually two to four timpani
- Baroque and Classical
- usually tuned to tonic and dominant
A drum with a pitch
The timpano is a kettledrum and belongs to the percussion instruments, more precisely to the membranophones: the sound is produced on the stretched head. A mechanism lets you change the tension of the head and with it the pitch. That is why the timpano can play definite notes and is written with noteheads in bass clef, as in the Dvořák in the sheet music archive. An orchestra usually has two to four timpani standing side by side.
Tonic and dominant
In the Baroque and Classical periods the timpani were as a rule tuned to tonic and dominant, that is, a fifth or a fourth apart. A piece in D major then had timpani on D and A. The pedal timpano made fast, continuous retuning with the foot possible.
Two timpani on tonic and dominant (D major)
Our own example: the two timpani are tuned to D3 and A2, the keynote and its fifth, that is, tonic and dominant. This passage needs no more notes.
A roll on one note
This is how the timpani part looks in Dvořák in bars 4 and 5: a roll on D♭3 with fz, tied into a short eighth note. A roll is played with quickly alternating strokes, as evenly as possible and without audible accents.
The roll
A long sustained timpani note is a roll: the sticks strike in quick alternation, as evenly as possible and without audible accents. In the music this is often marked with the sign tr and a wavy line, as in the Dvořák in the sheet music archive.
| Period | How the timpani are tuned | Retuning |
|---|---|---|
| Baroque and Classical | usually to tonic and dominant (a fifth or a fourth apart) | via a tensioning mechanism on the head |
| with pedal timpani | depending on the piece | quickly and continuously with the foot |
Timpani in the sheet music archive
-
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, 2nd movement: Largo Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), “From the New World”, op. 95 according to the sheet · score · 18 pages
The staff is labelled “Timpani D♭”, bass clef without a key signature, time signature C. Rests in bars 1 to 3; in bar 4, after a quarter rest, a roll on D♭ with the sign tr, a wavy line and fz, tied into an eighth note in bar 5. Rests after that.
Common mistakes
- Taking the timpano for an instrument without pitch: Every timpano is tuned to a definite note.
- Playing the roll unevenly: Audible accents destroy the even rumble.
- Taking “Timpani D♭” for a key: The label gives the tuning of the timpano, here D♭.
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Related terms
Timpani rollPercussion sectionDrum kitTonicDominantBass clefScoreOrchestraTrill
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 4 October 2026
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