How many of you HAVE a timpani in your drumset?

[THSdrummer]

I would really love to get a 23" maybe a 26" as well along with a marimba and malletKat. You would have so many more optitions with this. I know I've seen a drumset with 1 maybe 2 timpani, but I can't remember which forum or group I saw it on .

[Ehrin]

Matt Sorum used to have a timpani in his setup. Check out his stuff from when he first joined GnR.

[premiumdrummer]

he used it in mr. brownstone intro

[HPD260]

Mr. John Bonham used two on his left side.

[Narwhal De La Guerre]

i wish i had timpani

im gonna miss those when im off at college

[erwinner]

the church I work for traded two old WFL timpani to a music store for some crappy Premier snare drum. Nothing agaist Premier, it was just a $150 drum...
I wanted to strangle the asst. music minister! Don't be hitting the timp heads with regular wooden sticks though! Those things are expensive!

[nativeguy]

the church I work for traded two old WFL timpani to a music store for some crappy Premier snare drum. Nothing agaist Premier, it was just a $150 drum...
I wanted to strangle the asst. music minister! Don't be hitting the timp heads with regular wooden sticks though! Those things are expensive!

Hahaha, some pieces require you to use the butts of the sticks.

[erwinner]

not a lot! You'd dent the hell out of those heads and they're, what, $70 each!?!

[adzbro]

thread starter.

get better cymbals first. please

[drummaman1]

A good set of timpani is going to cost about $1000 for two drums. I'm a hammered copper bowl fan myself.

Yes, heads for timpani are expensive. But, it works out for the amount of time a head is actually on the timpani (1-2 years should be the norm; most schools though??? They won't change the heads unless they're broken or welted, and even if they're welted, if they still sound ok they'll keep them on !!!!)

Finally, if you have trouble with loading a 22 or 24 bass drum, GOOD LUCK with loading a 26 and/or 29 timpani!!!! The cases only cover the top, and though they go over the drum a little bit, there are no full cover cases for timpani...

...watch me eat my words...

Anyway, even though timpani have casters, they are not meant to move around a lot, i.e. touring. It's not to say you can't do it, as many touring orchestras do (there are touring orchestras, right??), but timpani are best not moved around too much.

So, after all that, and the cargo van that you will have to buy to cart them in, you can have timpani!!!

[David Hollywood]

When I did a Led Zeppelin show in college I used a 26" and 29" (Ludwig of course, it's Bonham) off to my left side. I used them in the "Moby ****" solo and in "The Rain Song". It was freakin' sweet.

[David Hollywood]

^Dude seriously? I can't say Moby D I C K??? Seriously??? What kind of drummer's forum is this???

[David Hollywood]

[QUOTE=drummaman1]A good set of timpani is going to cost about $1000 for two drums. I'm a hammered copper bowl fan myself.

Where do you buy your timpani??? The Adams Hammered Copper timpani cost about $5,000 for a set of two. The Ludwig Pro Hammered Copper are about $4,500 for a set of 2. If you know where to get hammered copper timp for $1,000 let us know!!!

Finally, if you have trouble with loading a 22 or 24 bass drum, GOOD LUCK with loading a 26 and/or 29 timpani!!!! The cases only cover the top, and though they go over the drum a little bit, there are no full cover cases for timpani...

Well, there are full cover cases for Adams Universal Timpani. UN20-UN32. Of course, then you have to use Universal Timpani.

[Shawn Lafrenz]

Touring orchestras do move timpani - but usually its a "B" or second set if at all possible so the normal set for the hall, and therefore the sound of the orchestra, isn't destroyed. If timps are on tour, the standard case is in fact an ATA Road case - full coverage in padded plywood with a ramp and if at all possible a shock mount floor. This is an investment in itself ranging from at least $750 - $1500 per case !!! But , if you are hauling a $56K set of Adams Classic Dresden with $4000 worth of calf heads around... maybe not too much after all.

Timpani have been used on drumsets nearly since drumsets began in the early 1900's with the other "traps" a stage drummer needed to cover the orchestration and novelty demands of the day. It's not hard to see why this even got started, because the sound of timpani drums have been fascinating composers and drummers since the 1700's.

In a more current rock situation, I had the pleasure last summer of catching "The Police" on tour in Chicago and couldn't help noticing the Adams Professional Timpani Stewart Copeland was using on his set - used extensively in "Walking in Your Footsteps" and other tunes. Of Course, Mr. Copeland had the 4 most important things that make playing timpani with your drumset in a rock band a little easier: 1) a big drum riser 2) a great sound system 3) a great crew and tech to set 'em up and tear 'em down and 4) a semi-trailer to get 'em to the next gig...

[David Hollywood]

^Yeah, I can't imagine using timpani with my kit on a regular basis. I would want a crew to haul them around for me!!!