Timpani Through Time
Timpani are a set of pitched drums, each with a single head stretched over a copper or fiberglass bowl.
- View our historical collection of timpani from the early 19th century to the present day.
- Listen as Rebecca Kite and Barbara Allen share stories about making timpani in the 1980s.
- Observe how developments in technology allowed timpani to be used as a solo instrument.
- Discover how timpani are used in an orchestra, like how their large size provides bass notes from the percussion section.
- Learn how to play different pitches from one drum.