The
European
Timpani
THE
RESPONSES
THE
RESPONSES :
The
following is a transcript of the responses I received from the timpanists
with whom I was in contact, see the biographies
page for information about each player.
What sets of timpani (make, model) do you regularly use in your orchestra?
Frank
Aarnink - Two
Adams philharmonic light sets (20” 23” 25” 26” 29” 32” with
Dresdener and 21” 25” 26” 29” 32” with Berliner pedals) – both
with calf skin?. Also we use an old pair of Dresdener (23” 26”)
machine timps and an old ringer pair (26” 29”)
Fausto
Bombarderi –
Ludwig Ringer (32” 29” 26” 23”) with Berliner pedals – calf
skin, Ludwig Chicago (32” 29” 26” 23”) – white plastic skins,
baroque timpani (made in Europe in beginning of 1900) (29” 27”)
David
Corkhill - Ludwig
Professional Symphonic
Dieter
Dyk – A:
1 set of 5 pedal-timpani (1Kolberg 1995, 2 Dresden 1936, 2
Günter Ringer 1966) 81 cm/72,5 cm/65 cm/ 60 cm/52 cm
B:
1 set of 4 pedal-timpani (Ringer 1966, 2 Dresden 1936, 1 Kolberg 1987) 78
cm/72,5 cm/ 65 cm/ 59 cm and
one crank-timpani (Dresden 1936) 52 cm
C:
1 pair of Richard Ludwig (Leipzig 1895) 61cm/68 cm
D:
1 set of 4 Screw-timpani, ( 2
Wunderlich from Altenburg ca.1900/ 2 Lefima from Cham) rebuilt to
crank-timpani in 1995 by Kolberg and in use since than.
E:
one pair of crank-timpani (Kolberg 1993) 61 cm/68 cm to complete the
Richard Ludwig pair to a 4 piece set
F:
one pair of crank-timpani (ev. Dresden 1900) rebuilt to pedal-timpani ( By
Kolberg in 2003 ) 60 cm/66 cm
G:
one set of 4 Kolberg- pedal timpani (1987) 77 cm/ 72 cm/ 66 cm/ 64 cm
H:
one set of 4 Schnellar crank-timpani, manufactured by
Wiener Schlaginstrumentenbau
in 1998 (76 cm/ 68 cm/ 61 cm/56 cm (private ppossession
) in use since 1999
Gerald
Fromme - 6
Ringer Models - only 2 with Pedals (the middle pair)- 2x23”,
1x 26”,28”,31”,33” – Renaissance skin (1970)
4
old Dresden models - modified, all with pedals - 2
x 28”, 2 x 31” –
Renaissance skin (1940) – soon to be changed to goat skin
1
Aehnelt bass timpani with pedal – 34” (1990)
7
Hochrainer timpani - 3
x 26”, 3 x 28”, 1 x 23” – goat skin (1970)
(Vienna
Phil. with goat skins without pedals, you can hear every “new year
concert” on TV)
Jim
Gordon - Adams
Philharmonic (32” 29”
26” 25” 23” Dresden pedals, renaissance heads) Adams Professional
(32” 29” 26” 23” premier pedal, renaissance heads) and a
pair of 19th century hand drums, possibly of German origin (26” 29”
calf heads)
Peter
Offelder –
Hardtke - At the moment the best Timpani builder in Germany, very good
service (with Berliner pedals), Ringer (with Berliner pedals), Dresdener
Mike
Quinn – Günter
Ringer, American Drum (M. Light), Dörfler, Kolberg Baroque
Guido
Rückel -
I’m using a
Set of original Ringer Timpani, build around 1970 (I think 1971,
In
our Orchestra we have many different timpani:
Most
of the time I’m using the Ringer, and the other Solo-Timpanist, Mr.
Stefan Gagelmann, is using the Aehnelt.
Louis
Sauvetre - One
set of Ludwig Ringer timpani
with renaissance heads and Berlin pedal, one set with two Ludwig Ringer
(32” 24”) and two Gunter Ringer (29” 26”),all the set with calf
heads and Berlin pedals
Wolfgang
Schuster –
Viennese timpani, system of Hans Schnellar / Hochrainer / Schuster with
goat skin. Adams pedal timpani with renaissance heads.
Maarten
van der Valk - a)
Baroque Timpani made by the English company George Potter and sons, in
Aldershot/near Guildford
b)
German made (no name) Baroque Timps.
c)
"Machine" Timpani by Dutch maker A.A. van den Hoek.
Nick
Woud - Set of
Adams Philharmonic light (Marinus Komst model) (32” 29” 26” 23”
20”)
Pair
of Schnellar pedal drums (28” 25”), Schnellar rotary piccolo (18”),
pair of Schnellar machine drums (28” 25”)
2
Van den Hoek machine drums (28” 25”), 22” Dresdner machine drum.
Set
of Adams Symphonic (32” 29” 26” 26” 23” 20”)
How
long has each set of drums been used in your orchestra?
Frank
Aarnink - The
Adams about 14 years, the ringer much longer, and the Dresdener about 2
years
Fausto
Bombarderi –
Ludwig Ringer : 10 years, Ludwig Chicago : 30 years, Baroque timpani : 1
month
David
Corkhill – 1
year
Gerald
Fromme - Ringer
since 1970, Dresden since 1940, Aehnelt since 1990, Hochrainer since 1970
Jim
Gordon - Philharmonics-
5 years, Professional - 10 years, hand drums- 10 years. When we bought our
Adams drums I was looking for instruments that sounded good in the hall
and also met my own standards regarding sound production. In addition
Adams had just improved their pedal design and several improvements
concerning bowl suspension and maintenance also helped in my decision. I
compared several sets from different manufacturers but the Adams set were
the best option for us.
Peter
Offelder –
Hardtke – 1 year, Ringer – 50 years, Dresdener – 10 years
Mike
Quinn - Ringers
32 yrs, Lights 13 yrs, Dörfler
1 yr, Kolberg 8 yrs.
Guido
Rückel - The
Ringer since the seventies, the Winkelmann and the Aehnelt from the
eighties
Louis
Sauvetre
– unknown
Wolfgang
Schuster
– Schnellar timpani since 1921, Hochrainer timpani since 1953, Schuster
timpani since, 1982
Maarten
van der Valk
– since 1993
Nick
Woud - Adams
Philharmonic : 2 years, Adams Symphonic : 15 years, Schnellar pedal and
rotary timpani : 90-100 years, Schnellar machine timpani : approx 5 years,
Van den Hoek: maybe 45 years
How
many drums are in each set and what are their sizes?
Frank
Aarnink - Adams
Dresdener pedal 20”,23”,25”,26”,29”,32”.
Adams
Berlin pedal 21” 25” 26” 29” 32”. Ringer 26” 29”
Dresdener about 23” 26”?
David
Corkhill - 4
timpani: 32", 29", 26", 23"
Gerald
Fromme
- Ringer
2x23”, 1x 26”,28”,31”,33” / Dresden 2 x 28”, 2 x 31” /
Aehnelt 1 x 34”, Hochrainer 3 x 26”, 3 x 28”, 1 x 23”
Jim
Gordon
- Philharmonics
32 29 26 25 23” Professionals
32 29 26 23 “ Hand
drums 29 26 “
Mike
Quinn
- Ringer 5
Light 7 } standard sizes
Dörfler 5
32/29/26/26/24
Guido
Rückel
- Normally
I’m using 4 timpani, each set is 5 Timpani (4+piccolo), the Aehnelt has
an additional custom build Bass-Timpani (tuning below C is possible!!)
Ringer:
78, 72, 66, 60, 54
Winkelmann:
78, 72, 64, 58, 54
Wolfgang
Schuster
– 29 ½ “ 27” 25” 22 ½ “ 21 ½ “
Maarten
van der Valk
- a) 4 drums, sizes 27/half -26 -23 and 21/half inches.
b)
2 drums, sizes 22 and 25 inches.
c)
2 drums, sizes 24 and 27 inches.
Nick
Woud
-
Adams philharmonic : 32” 29” 26” 23” 20”
Adams
symphonic : 32” 29” 26” 26” 23” 20”
Schnellar
pedal timpani : 25” 28” Rotary piccolo
Schnellar : 18”
Van
den Hoek : 25” 28”
Why
do you use these sizes of timpani?
Frank
Aarnink - They
were already here, mostly I use the 25” instead of the 23”
David
Corkhill - They
cover the entire range, but if additional instruments are needed (usually
29" timps) the orchestra hires them as necessary.
Dieter
Dyk - Different
periods in the development of our cultural art-music asks for equivalent
sizes. For example: At the time of Bach and Händel the sizes of the
normally played instruments were small ones. The common usage was upon the
horse, so they could not be too big. Also in the church, a small diameter
was sufficient. So at the court indoors small instruments were asked for
because of the relation to the not too big halls. An exception was the
cavalry, there they used sizes like 30” / 32” as the Blenheim timpani
show. These big instruments were not meant to be taken upon the horse, but
on a lafette (I do not know this word in English)
These
instruments were taken by the English as war spoil from the French at the
battle of Blenheim in 1704. Brought to England, they were hid in the Tower
as treasure. Händel used to ask King George when he had to perform his
Messiah for the permission those instruments to be played at the
“hallelujah”. The common sizes were 16”-17” and round about that.
I personally own a pair of kettledrums from 1687, Eisleben /Germany with
exactly this size. The classical period (Mozart,
The
so called early romantic measure is 20”-23”. Then the sizes (diameters
but not necessarily the depth) grew again, because the musical role,
especially for the opera, asked for more sensitivity and bright and loud
sounds. The sticks changed from wood to flannel or felt. Berlioz was the
first who wanted the timpani to be ordinarily played with sponge headed
sticks. And not at least, the skins changed more and more from the use of
both calf and goat to the calf side, because it even in very loud
Gerald
Fromme
– Because
their sound is the best in my opinion.
Jim
Gordon - I
like the 25” for all notes above E and the Adams model has a bit more
range and is better in tune. The other sizes are standard but suit the
timbre of the orchestra for most repertoire
Louis
Sauvetre – I
don’t have other drums for now
Maarten
van der Valk
- They appeal to my wish of sound, playing with this orchestra.
Nick
Woud - To
be able to attain the ideal sound on each drum (modern ones). The older
ones we use as they are. They sound great even when we play a note which
is (basically) too low for the drum.
For
what repertoire, or periods of music, is each set of drums used?
Frank
Aarnink - The
Adams for everything, the Ringer’s for when I feel like, for
Brahms/Beethoven and so, the Dresdener for Mozart/Bach, maybe Beethoven.
Fausto
Bombarderi -
Ringer for romantic and when I need a lot of sound. Generally they stay in
the auditorium. Chicago Ludwig for concert in other concert hall. Baroque
timpani, for classical program. We
are 45 musician so we do program not so big. Some time we do a big
programs and free-lance musicians help us. Every program we perform in
different places: auditorium, church, sport arenas. Normally I use the
Ringer set calf skin in the Auditorium of the orchestra and I play with
the Ludwig Chicago plastic white in the other situations. This depends of
course the repertoire so some time I use the baroque timpani everywhere.
David
Corkhill - All
repertoires: differences in period style are effected by use of different
sticks, different sizes of instrument, and personal technique.
Dieter
Dyk - Set A and B
: Brahms, Dvorak, Bruckner and Mahler up to the present (all kinds of
sticks like flannel, hard to soft felt and if asked by the composer -
wood) (set A: renaissance, set B : calf- some times goat) My colleague
K.H.Benzinger, playing the A set, does not like to have too much problems
with tuning. I, playing the B set, love the natural sound better and take
the risk. I prefer goat, because it is more easy to play – the roll for
example- it keeps the tuning better, is dryer in our overwhelming
acoustic, lives longer, costs less!
Set
C and E: Mendelssohn, Weber etc. to Schumann (calf, hard felt and flannel)
Set
D: Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven (goat, wood)
Set
F: Schubert to Schumann (goat, wood)
Set
G: modern music, renaissance skins, unusual sticks and things to put upon
the head (like cymbals, gongs or temple bells)
Set
H: for special tasks from Schubert to Mahler (flannel and wood, goatskins)
Gerald
Fromme - In
principle I play the classical period and romantic on the Hochrainer
timpani, however I also enjoy playing modern pieces on the pedal timpani,
which I use when you must tune quickly. I decide from piece to piece.
Jim
Gordon - The
Adams Philharmonics are used for 90 % of our repertoire, the Professionals
for 20th century pieces with pedalling problems and the hand drums for
Haydn. Mozart & early Beethoven
Peter
Offelder –
My
orchestra plays all types of music, not specialised repertoire, so there
is no need for Baroque timpani.
Mike
Quinn -
Repertoire not a factor. Rehearsal hall or Theatre. Touring
Guido
Rückel - I
am using the Ringer for everything except: Early classic (Haydn, Beethoven
1, etc.) : Dresdner Timpani, Mozart etc. : Lefima Baroque
Louis
Sauvetre – All
for now
Wolfgang
Schuster – For
all kinds of music we use the Viennese timpani, except contemporary, where
we use Adams pedal timpani.
Maarten
van der Valk
- a) Rameau,Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelsohn, early Brahms.
b)
Bach, Handel.
c)
Brahms, Schumann.
Nick
Woud - The
Schnellars, V.d. Hoek’s for
the early, middle romantic and classical repertoire
The
Adams Philharmonics for everything else.
The
Adams Symphonics for outdoors and modern / setup repertoire
Is
there a connection between the size and sound of your orchestra - and the
Frank
Aarnink - No,
the sizes are more related to the music we play.
Fausto
Bombarderi - Not
about size but about quality of sound.
David
Corkhill - I
believe the sound of Ludwig timpani complements the best traditions of the
Philharmonia sound, but I would use these instruments whatever the
orchestra.
Dieter
Dyk - Indeed,
there is a connection. Only 20 years ago, nobody cared about balance. The
modern instruments were also good for ancient music. With the change of
interpretation and rediscovering the old instruments you could compare.
Our orchestra does not want to have a heavy fat sound, more light in the
direction of the Vienna Philharmonic. Now we look for the best balance. In
our hall, it is more advantage to play an instrument that does not ring
too much, otherwise we are constantly busy with damping.
Gerald
Fromme - Not
especially. We use Hochrainer the most we can. They have a beautiful dark
sound and you can’t overplay. But tuning is hard!
Jim
Gordon – Ideally
yes, in practise no
Peter
Offelder
– We play in too many different halls.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Yes, as mentioned before between size and sound of orchestra and choice
of timpani. The acoustic of the performance hall should be approached as
well as possible for and by the whole orchestra, so with "it's
sound".
Guido
Rückel - Yes,
the Ringer is the one that has the most “German” sound, it matches the
best with the rest of the Orchestra…for my opinion I think, that the
Aehnelt are too big. But the smaller Timps (Dresdner and Baroque) have a
similar sound to the Ringer, but with a reduced loudness!!
Wolfgang
Schuster – The
size is not the most important factor – instead the system of the
timpani and the goat skin.
Nick
Woud - Apart
from using the old timpani (Schnellar and v.d. Hoek), that absolutely have
created part of the sound of the orchestra, the Adams are quite standard
instruments. We will not use too high tensioned drums though, and would
rather choose, smaller drums than bigger ones.
Does
the performance location or environmental conditions influence your
Frank
Aarnink - Only
when were playing outside I choose plastic.
David
Corkhill - No
Dieter
Dyk - Some
times, but only secondarily – the weather conditions.
Gerald
Fromme - Of
course. We don’t use natural skins in open air. Its a pity for the
music.
Jim
Gordon – Depends
on the repertoire
Peter
Offelder – No!
Only the sticks are different in different halls.
Mike
Quinn - Yes
Louis
Sauvetre - Yes
(calf heads don’t travel when possible)
Maarten
van der Valk
– No
Nick
Woud -
No, because we use calf heads and are used to the difficulties caused by
this.
HEADS
What
are your reasons for using each type of head? eg. different periods of
repertoire, performance location (inside / outside)
Frank
Aarnink - SOUND!
David
Corkhill - Since
the revival of calf heads in the UK (and the introduction of their
compromise, so-called 'Renaissance' heads) plastic heads have become
regarded as poor relations. It is my experience and belief that
appropriate style, whatever the period or repertoire, is the
responsibility and is under the control of the player more than the
technology; plastic heads with the right player can achieve all the right
musical contexts a timpanist needs. In brief, plastic is fantastic!
Dieter
Dyk - Instrument
type, tuning problems, unusual types of sticks, sound character
sensitivity
Gerald
Fromme - As
I said: the Hochrainer timpani with goat skin we use from the baroque up
to the romantic. The sound integrates more with the orchestra because its
warmer indeed. On the other timpani we use renaissance skin, but soon
we’ll change the Dresden models to goat skin too.
Jim
Gordon - Early
model Renaissance heads were encouraging, later models disappointing.
Because of many runout concerts, Renaissance heads are my head of choice
but I am still looking for a better sound on the 29 and 26 drums. The hand
drums have calf heads which please me.
Mike
Quinn - Calf has
best sound. Renaissance used on Lights
Louis
Sauvetre - I like
very much calf heads for all the non 20th century music, for
musical reasons. For me they have a better rhythmical impact in the
orchestra, and if I am not sure the difference is big from outside the
orchestra (between calf and renaissance) I definitely don’t play the
same when I play calf heads. I think
it is more easy to fit in the sound of the orchestra, to play more deep,
to find more colours with one pair of sticks only. Especially the contact
with the head is very different.
Guido
Rückel -
With the “normal” Timpani
we are using Kalfo Heads only, on my small Dresdner I’m using goat-skin
(“Ziegen-Fell”). In the Summer my Orchestra (Munich Phil) is playing
one open-air concert, there we are using Renaissance. Kalfo-Heads
are producing the best sound!!! But, using them on open-air concerts, it's
like suicide!!! I did this once in my life, it was a nightmare!!!!!
Wolfgang
Schuster – The
sound.
Maarten
van der Valk -
The most optimal clear sound and pitch.
Nick
Woud - Basically
we will play calf heads always, on the pair of Schnellar machine drums are
goat skin and outside we will use plastic.
Could you please give your thoughts on Renaissance heads? How do they compare to other plastic heads?
Frank
Aarnink - I think
renaissance heads are much better to play on then normal plastic heads
(the white one’s, I hate the clear one’s) Only for a school or amateur
band I would recommend white one’s.
Fausto
Bombarderi - I
used a lot the renaissance heads. I like but they have more problem them
plastic heads and renaissance doesn’t help me for tuning and sound . So
I decided to use calf and plastic.
David
Corkhill - I
referred to them as a 'compromise'. Calf heads have a unique and special
sound that not even the best plastic heads can achieve; plastic heads too
have their own distinctive quality. Renaissance heads in my view are not
able to match either of these in their own sound field and furthermore do
not add a sufficiently distinctive new sound to the timpani sound world.
Their rough finish also tends to damage many soft timpani stick heads.
Dieter
Dyk - In
p up to mf they are fairly good sounding clear and distinct. From f to ff
and more they loose quality , do not sound organic and have no
“centre”. White plastic has more strength in higher ranges and extreme
loudness
Gerald
Fromme - I’m
not very happy with them, but I think the colour is the reason and the
sound is better in the audience then on stage.
Peter
Offelder – Their
sound is close to that of natural skins.
Mike
Quinn – Better
Guido
Rückel - Of
course they are not as good as calf-heads, but I think, they are the best
“not-normal-skin” heads, much better than normal Plastic heads!!
Maarten
van der Valk
- Much better, as speaking for timpani. They have improved and if it were
possible on Baroque Timps, I would definitely bring them along on tours
for when the weather circumstances are bad.
Nick
Woud - Much
better though I’m not sure the quality is always good. There seem to be
to many different types still going around. I think they absolutely are
better than the heads we had before. The Evans heads I tried were
impossible, in terms of putting them on the drum and intonation. I liked
the “old” Premier heads a lot. Nice sound and good feeling.
Does
the conductor of your orchestra have an influence on the choice of drums
and heads?
Frank
Aarnink – Not
yet
Fausto
Bombarderi – I
decide what I want to use
David
Corkhill - No
Dieter
Dyk - When
David Zinman, our present chief conductor, started, he asked in general
for smaller instruments, because he already was very aware of balance, but
he did not know the connection between skin and stick!
Gerald
Fromme - Sometimes.
If they feel competent in particular musical styles. e.g. baroque etc.
Jim
Gordon – No
Peter
Offelder – They
only try to change my choice of sticks
Mike
Quinn - Muti
insisted on having the Light drums when he first arrived from
Philadelphia. They are not used much except for touring.
Guido
Rückel
- Normally its my choice. Some conductors are really loving the sound of
the Baroque Timps (James Levine!!!) for Mozart, Haydn, early Beethoven,
others are preferring the “normal” ones, but 95% its my choice, and
basta!!!
Louis
Sauvetre - Not
really, but I try to find the right sound to be close to the style he
wants.
Wolfgang
Schuster – No.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Yes, he has on the choice of Timps.
Nick
Woud - If
a conductor asks about this, they will want calf heads only, so that’s
no problem. Sometimes the conductor asks for smaller drums, baroque type,
if we play older repertoire but we will finally make our own choice.
How
regularly do you change the heads on your drums?
Frank
Aarnink - Once
a year on the middle set, less often on the other one’s.
Fausto
Bombarderi - Calf
skin every year. Plastic depending on how much I use.
David
Corkhill - Every
couple of years, depending on wear
Dieter
Dyk -Depends
to the state of used condition. At least after 2 seasons. Plastic and
natural skins equally.
Gerald
Fromme – When
the sound gets bad. On average once a year.
Jim
Gordon - Renaissance
every 2 years, calf 1-3 years depending on use
Peter
Offelder – Only
if they are defective.
Mike
Quinn - Calf
once per year. Plastic
when necessary.
Guido
Rückel - It
depends on the Programs : Normally I change the two middle Drums of my 4
Timpani-set 3 times a Season, the two outer Timps 2 times, so I need 10
Heads a Season.
Louis
Sauvetre - I
don’t know exactly yet.
Wolfgang
Schuster – It
depends on their quality.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Depends on all conditions, like weather, how many concerts, Beethoven
9th symphony or Serenata Notturna. Averagely spoken, once or twice a year.
Nick
Woud - Every
5 months we will rotate the calf head on the middle drums 180* The
outside drums last longer. The plastic can last several years because we
hardly use them.
How
often do you clear (adjust the skin at each tension rod to the same pitch)
the skins on your timpani?
Frank
Aarnink – Only
when really necessary
David
Corkhill – When
I change the heads.
Dieter
Dyk - Very
few! Only, if really necessary after changing.
Gerald
Fromme – At
the beginning of every rehearsal or concert
Jim
Gordon – for
every performance
Peter
Offelder –
Only if the heads have been put out of tune by transport.
Guido
Rückel - If
the heads are brand new, they are perfectly in tune…(one reason for this
is, that I change the Heads for myself with a 3 Day Drying-Period)…but
if the Heads are “well-used” it could be possible that I need to
retune them every day!!!
Maarten
van der Valk
- Checking all the time, depends on tension of skin/weather and how much
travelling, or if you want how much change of halls, trucks, plains etc.
Nick
Woud - Almost
never. If the head is out of tune, we will take it of and wet it and put
it on again. That works best with calf. Clearing in the normal way (as
with plastic heads) will only destroy the sound.
TUNING
Go
to the drums page to see what type of pedal (or
otherwise) is used on each set of timpani
What
do you feel are the advantages / disadvantages of using this tuning
system?
Fausto
Bombarderi -
Ringer is not so precise, the better is the Dresden system. For faster
changes there is a risk to noise in the structure.
David
Corkhill - It
allows me the essential permanent contact with the instruments'
intonation.
Dieter
Dyk - Direct,
you feel the skin working, gives an orientation about the condition of the
skin, by experience you know approximately quick where to go in a
fast-blind tuning.
Gerald
Fromme - Everybody
knows, that 2 pedals and 2 screws are the quickest method for tuning - the
left and right placed timpani with screw allows you to tune the timpani
quickest. (Two feet, two hands!? Or?)
Jim
Gordon - I
like the Dresden pedal because the clutch is very secure on the Adams
drums. It can be disadvantageous for quick changes downwards. The Premier
pedal was not my choice as the drums belonged to another colleague and
were inherited by my orchestra. I don’t use them very often.
Peter
Offelder
– It
works well for a long period of time.
Guido
Rückel - Berlin
Tuning system I feel most comfortable with, so for me it’s the best.
Wolfgang
Schuster –
Hands are more sensitive than feet.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Advantage: Fine tuning all the time-hand tuned - Disadvantage: slower
tone changes.
Nick
Woud - The
sensitivity with the Dresdner system works for me better than the Berlin
one. But both are valid and ok. Sometimes the machine tuned drums are
fine, especially for changing notes, but to correct a wrong intonation
with eg roll’s or a virtuoso passage, is a big problem.
Does
the tuning system have an affect on the way you play this drum?
Fausto
Bombarderi
- Slow tuning
David
Corkhill
- It
gives me the freedom to play in the most appropriately musical way
Dieter
Dyk
-
No
Gerald
Fromme – I
don’t hope so.
Jim
Gordon -
The way I play the drum has more to do with repertoire, stick choice and
colour and the tuning system
Peter
Offelder – No
Guido
Rückel
- No
Maarten
van der Valk
- Sometimes, when for instance. experiencing dry air, while playing you
notice the pitch is getting higher, you have to wait for the 1st possible
break or short pause to adjust.
Nick
Woud - Yes,
the pedal system has an effect on the playing position and more important
on the position of the hand. For example, with the Berlin system the
position will be more v-shaped , because of the knees interfering. Also
because of the pressure with calf heads we normally sit a bit more on the
edge of the chair , to have some counter-pressure.
Do
you use tuning gauges on your timpani? Do you think they are necessary?
Frank
Aarnink - Yes,
they are a great help if you don’t trust them to much.
Fausto
Bombarderi – I
tune by ear.
David
Corkhill - Yes,
I use them, but they are not absolutely necessary - the player's ear and
pedal technique (developed it is hoped from Conservatoire study without
gauges) should be sufficient in most cases. Nevertheless gauges are
extremely useful guides.
Dieter
Dyk
- Not really
necessary, but helpful: helps to remember where the last tuning stopped,
without touching the skin
Gerald
Fromme - I
do hope for all the timpanists, that they are not dependent on it.
Jim
Gordon - I
have gauges and I use them from time to time
Peter
Offelder – They
are not often necessary
Mike
Quinn – Yes and
yes
Guido
Rückel - On
the “normal” Timps there are the typical tuning gauges, and I need
them!!!
Louis
Sauvetre - I
do. They help a lot, but I trust more and more my ears and every time I
can adjust a note, I do it. At least I keep the pedal open when possible.
Actually I feel more secure like this and it is very easy with the old
ringer pedal.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Playing in a symphony orchestra, for instance Strauss' "Rosenkavalier"
it is useful during the scale changes. In general I prefer without, but in
today's modern repertoire it is very handy and practically necessary,
unless you have "absolute hearing". Teaching pedal Timps, I
cover them as much as possible for my pupils.
Nick
Woud - Yes
absolutely. First responsibility: they have to be in tune! They will help
to tune faster, and so give more space to count, change sticks, etc. Also
is it possible to see the actual tuning on the drum in pieces with a lot
of changing. Never trust them though. Keep the ears open all the time,
also with plastic. In some fast tuning passages it is better to feel than
to look.
PERFORMANCE
In
what order do you set up your timpani?
|
Frank
Aarnink
– German Fausto
Bombarderi
- German David
Corkhill
- International Dieter
Dyk
– German Gerald
Fromme
- German Jim
Gordon
– International Peter
Offelder
– German |
Mike
Quinn
– International Guido
Rückel
- German Louis
Sauvetre
– German Wolfgang
Schuster
- German Maarten
van der Valk
– German Nick
Woud
- German |
Is
this set-up one of personal preference or influenced by other factors eg.
the design of the timpani?
Frank
Aarnink - I
played the other way around in Holland, but the set here were like this.
Fausto
Bombarderi –
The pedal.
David
Corkhill - UK
tradition and common sense lead me to this set-up - after all, all
keyboards have their 'high' notes on the right
Dieter
Dyk - Following
the German tradition, but also my personal preference because of the
leading by the left hand, which opens more the heart-side and with that
puts weight on the emotional soft playing rather than the dictating
strength of a right hand.
Gerald
Fromme - It
depends on historical reasons, design surely not . To explain here, space
is too little.
Jim
Gordon - Its
the way I was taught to play , design has no influence.
Peter
Offelder – I
learned the traditional style of Vienna and Berlin.
Mike
Quinn – In
Italy they play with the high timpani on the right
Guido
Rückel - It’s
the German (Swiss, Austrian) way of playing timpani, and the way I learned
it
Louis
Sauvetre - I
changed. I used to play the French way, now I play the German way because
of the instruments (pedals). This is absolutely no problem to change, and
I think it is the same one way or the other.
Wolfgang
Schuster – The
tradition.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Influenced by the way I was taught, the German way. But I have played
the other way around in a few orchestras, all together 5 years and I think
it is necessary for all learning, to be able to play both ways.
Nick
Woud - Both
and of course tradition (part of our profession)
Do
you have any thoughts on the advantages or disadvantages of each setup, in
what ways does it influence performance?
Frank
Aarnink - It
doesn’t matter at all. Some times I play both ways in one concert (2
sets of timps of course)
David
Corkhill - I
can see no advantages to having low notes on the right, however much
European timpanists may try to justify this system.
Dieter
Dyk - Of
course, on pedal timpani you can tune and play even with two hands at the
same time. Through the technical advance there also is a musical advance.
With machine timpani, quick tuning it is not possible. With pedal tuned
instruments you have more time to put your attention to the musical flow,
instead of being busy with the tuning proceedings!
Gerald
Fromme - As
I said: The goat skins are “devils”. Tuning them in the right way is
hard. But the comfortable way is always the worst. The success is the
result! (Or reverse!) Further the tuning range by Hochrainer is more than
an octave on each timpani.
Jim
Gordon -
In Germanic countries players prefer the small timp left. Its illogical to
me and probably has something to do with the position of the basses (see
old 19th century orchestra prints) . If you have a piano background
playing German style is very odd.
Guido
Rückel - Just
a matter of the way you learned it…there should be no advantages
Maarten
van der Valk
- The way you are sitting in the orchestra can be important. If high drum
is on left and basses are on left, it has a different outcome on the
sound. In our orchestra I sit left on stage (looking from behind) with the
trumpets, and basses right of me, in the middle. For instance, “The
Seasons by Haydn”, I sit in the middle in front of the choir. Basses
right, down a bit.
Nick
Woud – No
advantages or disadvantages.
Do
you perform sitting or standing? If sitting, is the stool in a high or low
position?
Fausto
Bombarderi -
sitting
David
Corkhill –
sitting, middle position
Dieter
Dyk - Sitting
with the big instruments (sometimes tuning with both legs at the same
time, more comfortable) chair relatively high. Standing with the small
instruments. Also depends on the timpani-drum-technique (wooden sticks,
double stroke roll different position etc.)
Gerald
Fromme - Sitting
on high position with feet on the ground, not on stool.
Jim
Gordon – Sitting
on a high stool
Peter
Offelder –
Sitting
Mike
Quinn
– sitting in a high position
Guido
Rückel – sitting,
low
Louis
Sauvetre - Both,
depends what I have to play. I like better to sit then I can keep my feet
on the pedal. It is also more comfortable. If I have to move a lot, I like
better to stand.
Wolfgang
Schuster –
Sitting in a high position.
Maarten
van der Valk
- Sitting, stool is in a medium position.
Nick
Woud - Sit,
in a rather high position. This will create generally a better sound,
because the distance of the drums will take out the aggressiveness of the
sound.
Could
you please give your thoughts on how playing position affects the sound of
the timpani?
Fausto
Bombarderi
– Depends on which
character I want.
David
Corkhill
- Briefly:
1. the stick head must strike the timp head when the stick becomes
parallel with the timp head 2.
the player must sit upright and relaxed in order to have overall control
of all the instruments and preserve a good flow of oxygen to the brain and
body.
Dieter
Dyk - If
too high, danger of digging the sound in to the drum, because the wrist
can- not go away quick and complete enough to let the skin vibrate. There
are basic differences also depending to the stick holding position and the
intention of what the stroke should effect. Staccato, legato, full sound,
depth, hard, soft etc.
Gerald
Fromme - The
best position is behind the strings (eg. Second violins), because the
sound is more integrated in the orchestra and you can better control the
timing between strings, woodwinds and brass.
Jim
Gordon - I’m
always aware of how much stick is striking the head and I want to be able
to control or change the angle according to my musical decisions during
performance. If I sit too low I can’t do this, but with the stool at the
right height I can control
things pretty well.
Guido
Rückel - If
you are sitting too high, the angle between the Stick and the head is not
correct [Herr Rückel at this point included a diagram indicating that
he prefers the stick to be flat when striking the timpani, not angled
downwards]
Louis
Sauvetre - I
think I get more easily involved when I stand, more dynamic.
Maarten
van der Valk
- In general I would say, very natural; the best way you feel comfortable;
with certain definite importance’s like straight back, not too much arm
length away or too close from the Timps. Very important to lean a bit
forward, feet on pedals or if without on the ground; for better moving and
rotating body during action (so stool not too low!)
If
your orchestra were to hold a timpani audition, what drums would
auditionees be asked to perform on, for what types of repertoire?
Fausto
Bombarderi
- All kinds of timpani.
Available and free choice for the musician.
David
Corkhill
- Ludwig
Professional Symphonic (or for my colleague Andrew Smith, Premier) Bach,
Beethoven, Bartok, R. Strauss, Janacek
Dieter
Dyk - Up
to romantic such as Schumann, small instruments goat skins, wooden sticks.
All furthers: big instruments, felt or flannel and wood, if prescription
Gerald
Fromme – They
can choose what they want.
Jim
Gordon –
Adams Philharmonics
Peter
Offelder – Same
timpani for all repertoire.
Mike
Quinn - Depends
where the audition is held
Guido
Rückel - They
would be asked to play on the Ringer/ Aehnelt.
Wolfgang
Schuster – Only
on the Viennese style timpani.
Nick Woud - The Schnellars for the older repertoire and the Adams for the later.
DESIGN
/ CONSTRUCTION
Please
describe the bowls of your timpani, what is their shape?
David
Corkhill
- hemispherical
Dieter
Dyk - Dresden
and older: half bowl with a cylindrical collar
Ringer:
more conical
Viennese:
egg shape (elliptic) , very deep
Gerald
Fromme - Hochrainer
is like a vase or dome. The sound is darker. The other shape of bowl is
known as well.
Jim
Gordon - Hand
hammered parabolic bowls
Peter
Offelder –
Traditional
Mike
Quinn - Ringers/Dörflers
– flat bottom, hard rim Lights
- flat bottom, round rim
Kolberg
round bottom, flared kettle
Maarten
van der Valk
– George Potter & sons - Hoop diameter and depth almost equal.
(straight smile bottom?)
Baroque
timpani (German make) - Deeper than hoop diameter. (slightly
"disappointed" smile bottom?)
van
den Hoek - "drop" shape- pointy in the bottom.
Nick
Woud - Schnellars
almost v- shaped, Adams : parabolic, V.d. Hoek : very shallow
In
what ways do you think the shape of the bowl influences the sound of the
timpani?
David
Corkhill - I'm
not sure, but I like the sound they make.
Dieter
Dyk - Round:
full warm sound
Conical:
more focused tone, bright
Egg:
focused and dark
Gerald
Fromme - Vase
or dome = darker sound. (Dark is beautiful!)
Jim
Gordon -
The parabolic bowls give a somewhat darker sound, not always ideal
Peter
Offelder
- The
form and the hardness of the kettle make the sharpness of the tone. Also
the hammering!! It is the same by the brass instruments about material and
mensur of the natural horn.
Mike
Quinn - Flat
bottom – darker sound hard
rim – better definition
Maarten
van der Valk
– George Potter & sons - is very bright, clear and direct.
Baroque
timpani - heavier, dryer sound.
van
den Hoek - clear, deep but bright at the same time.
Nick
Woud - I’m
not sure, all the drums sound excellent, with all different shapes so the
construction and the tension of the sides of the bowls are more important
than we think.
Are
there any special features about the bowls, for example the lip of the
bowl or
thickness
of the metal, that also may contribute to the sound of the timpani?
Dieter
Dyk - Sharp
shoulder: exact shape of tone
Round
shoulder: softer shape of tone
Thin
material: more sensitive in p and pp passages, not so strong in ff
Thick
material: stiff in p, no good attack up to mf, very strong in ff
Copper:
warm and lively, even when hammered
Brass:
rather cool and stiff, but also bright
Plastic
(fibre-glass): dull, no strength, no real power
With
frame: closed vibration
Without
frame (eg. Schnellar): free ringing, like baroque instruments
Gerald
Fromme - Thin
metal sounds thin. The lips of Hochrainer-bowls don’t hang in a rim,
they move up and down while tuning. There are no unnecessary materials
like push-rods or other things around the bowls therefore they sounds free
and friendly.
Jim
Gordon - If
the drums are moved a lot, its a good idea to check if the bowls are
symmetric after a while (stage hands are often careless) I use Teflon
spray on the bowl before putting on a new head
Wolfgang
Schuster
- The
intention [with the Schnellar design] was to improve the sound's quality,
especially in the fortissimo, what actually succeeded. This effect can be
described as following: Regarding the dynamics (starting from forte) the
timpani of Viennese system stands above the sound of the Timpani of the
Dresdner system, which are covered by calf or synthetic heads. The
Dresdner Timpani covered with calf skin, has a much more clearer sound in
the fields till mezzo piano, because the full harmonics series don't
attain to swing. I want to point out, that this is the subjective opinion
of those, who play the Viennese timpani. The fundamental difference to the
Dresdner Timpani consists in the circumstance, that the skin is not draw
down over the kettle at the tuning, but the free swinging kettle is moved
up an down. Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss did appreciate these
instruments very much, both also knew Schnellar personally. Mahler
transported two pairs of the Schnellar timpani to New York; also he wanted
to engage Schnellar as guest-timpanist in New York as well as in
Amsterdam.
Maarten
van der Valk
- I believe so. The
above question
I think explains a lot in this matter. The lip has an influence by how the
skin folds over the whole Timp. My experience with this is not much. But I
believe that with goat skin for instance a thicker lip works better for
the sound, rather than a thin lip.
Nick
Woud – see
above
Do
you use specially designed timpani to obtain notes in extreme registers?
Gerald
Fromme
– We
use the Aehnelt timpani for the lowest notes like Mahler etc. It’s our
biggest timpani
Nick
Woud - Yes,
a 41” v.d. Hoek timpano for the notes below C and an 18” piccolo
Schnellar timpano for the notes above d
Of
what material is the frame constructed?
Dieter
Dyk - Dresden:
Cast iron and steel, Ringer:
Cast aluminium and steel,
R. Ludwig: Cast iron and iron, Schnellar: Cast aluminium, Kolberg:
Cast aluminium
Gerald
Fromme
– Cast
iron
Jim
Gordon
– copper
Mike
Quinn
– Cast steel
Maarten
van der Valk
– metal
Nick
Woud
- Mostly iron or
copper
What
is the weight of each timpani?
Gerald
Fromme – from
app. 30 – 60 kg.
Jim
Gordon
– 60-80 kilos
Peter
Offelder – Dresdener
timpani are very heavy with an iron frame.
Mike
Quinn - Enough to
make the stage manager complain constantly.
Maarten
van der Valk
- a) appr. 30,
28, 26 and 24 kg.
b)
app. 25 and 23 kg.
c)
app. 40 and 45 kg.
Nick
Woud
- Adams around 85
kilo’s, The Schnellars/ v.d. Hoek maybe 40 or so
Do
you think the weight of the drum is an important consideration when
purchasing new timpani?
Frank
Aarnink - Yeah,
for our roadies!
David
Corkhill - Yes:
they need to be well built and not light - light material absorbs energy.
Dieter
Dyk –
Yes
Gerald
Fromme - Yes.
The better the connection to the stage, the better the sound. The most
important is: the stage must be of softwood!!!!! The difference is
amazing!!
Jim
Gordon – You
must have been a stage hand at some point in your career.
Peter
Offelder – No
Mike
Quinn - Only for
the stage manager…
Nick
Woud - Yes,
although never the most important. Also important are the height, sound of
course and comfort.