Figure 7.

Spectrograph of a muted drum

brand. It may bring out the fundamental tone very well on one drum, but
it might produce a tone that is too weak or lacking conviction on another
drum. A legato mallet might bring out the dark richness of the timpani on
one brand of drum but stie the sound on another brand. Therefore, it is
critical that timpanists choose (or preferably build) timpani sticks that
bring out the tonal characteristics of their drums. The critical elements in
selecting or building timpani sticks include the weight of the sticks, the
size of the mallet head, the composition of the core, and the mallet cover-
ing. See gure 8 for a picture of the mallets discussed in this book.
In building sticks, there are two principles to keep in mind. First,
drums that naturally produce darker tones should be played with sticks
that produce a darker color and drums that naturally produce a brighter
sound should be played with sticks that produce brighter colors. As differ-
ent brands and bowl shapes produce different sounds, match the mallet to
the drum. Second, a variety of sticks should be made to bring out a variety
of tone and articulation (from bright to dark and from legato to staccato).
Thus, one builds sticks that elicit the tone quality of the instrument; within
the tonal parameters of the stick, one constructs a variety of sticks that
give the needed articulation and tone color. Stick weight is important in
producing the articulation and tone color one needs. Lighter sticks (sticks
that weigh less) produce a brighter color with fewer audible lower partials,
and heavier sticks tend to emphasize the fundamental, with fewer audible
upper partials. For example, to bring out the blending character of Walter
Light drums, timpanists can use a lighter stick than one would use on a
Ringer drum. However, in building sticks that will give progressively darker
sounds, the timpanist should develop a variety of mallets that become pro-
gressively heavier. In so doing, timpanists create a variety of sticks that
give them the ability to produce a wide range of tones.
Stick weight is not the only determinant of tone quality; the diameter
of the mallet head (core) is also important. As a general rule, smaller mal-
let heads produce higher partials, less resonance, and diminished prin-
ciple tone. The result is that these mallet heads sound more percussive and

10 Timpani Tone and the Interpretation of Baroque and Classical Music