onantly.

Thus, for those timpanists who want their heads to sing, the pri-
mary stick action ows from the wrist. However, there are occasions when
the use of the arm is important in obtaining the requisite sound.
The arms can be used to enhance tone production in two ways: rst,
to bring out more color, and second, to articulate a passage more effec-
tively. Bringing the forearm into play is one way of darkening the sound of
a stroke. As described above, the heavier the stick, the darker the sound.
When the forearm is brought into play, the timpanist is simply adding
more weight (the weight of the forearm) to the stroke. When the stick
makes contact with the timpano head, it penetrates deeper into the head
and brings out the color of the drum, so that the audible fundamental with
all its partials is heard in its glory. In the fourth movement of his Sym-
phony No. 1, Brahms begins with a roll that ends on the rst beat of the
second measure (see example 1.3).
1.3. Full-bodied note in Brahmss
Symphony No. 1

The rst beat must be darker and heavier than the roll that precedes it.
This dark ending is achieved by adding the weight of the arm in the place-
ment of the stroke, and just after the stick reaches its deepest penetration,
the wrist is used to bring the mallet smartly off the timpano headtaking
advantage of the natural rebound of the head. During this stroke, the tim-
panist should hold the stick very loosely, and during the rebound, the tim-
panist should feel the mallet recoiling from the head. The result is a fully
resonant, heavy, full-bodied legato sound that shakes the soul. This stroke
can be used in any place where it is necessary to create a very heavy and
resonant sound. Second, the arms can also be used to achieve the maxi-
mum articulation of a passage. Holding the stick in the normal staccato
manner, the arm moves up and down, one to three inches, with each stroke
placed on the head. At the same time, the mallet head is sharply placed and
brought off the timpano head. The effect of the arm movement is to allow
the mallet head to penetrate the drumhead more than normal and this ef-
fectively mufes the overtones, producing a more articulate sound. This
technique is very difcult to master since it requires synchronized arm and
wrist movement. When performed well, this technique produces the great-
est degree of articulation with good tone quality.
Finally, the position of the human body relative to the timpano can
shape timpani tone. To permit the sound to leave the drum and stage in an
unrestricted manner, the timpanist should get out of the way of the sound.
After playing the nal note in a passage, timpanists can let the mallet re-
bound from the drumhead and simultaneously bring the stick up and to-
ward them. This allows the timpanist to (1) let the stick rebound and fol-
low the sound upward, and (2) get the stick away from the drum. In this

24 Timpani Tone and the Interpretation of Baroque and Classical Music