Editing Timpani (section)

=== Tuning ===
Prior to playing, the timpanist must clear the heads by equalizing the tension at each tuning screw. This is done so every spot is tuned to exactly the same pitch. When the head is clear, the timpani will produce an in-tune sound. If the head is not clear, the pitch will rise or fall after the initial impact of a stroke, and the drum will produce different pitches at different [[dynamics (music)|dynamic levels]]. Timpanists are required to have a well-developed sense of [[relative pitch]] and must develop techniques to tune in an undetectable manner and accurately in the middle of a performance. Tuning is often tested with a light tap from a finger, which produces a near-silent note.

Some timpani are equipped with tuning gauges, which provide a visual indication of the pitch. They are physically connected either to the counterhoop, in which case the gauge indicates how far the counterhoop is pushed down, or the pedal, in which case the gauge indicates the position of the pedal. These gauges are accurate when used correctly. However, when the instrument is disturbed in some fashion (transported, for example), the overall pitch can change, thus the markers on the gauges may not remain reliable unless they have been adjusted immediately preceding the performance. The pitch can also be changed by room temperature and humidity. This effect also occurs due to changes in weather, especially if an outdoor performance is to take place. Gauges are especially useful when performing music that involves fast tuning changes that do not allow the timpanist to listen to the new pitch before playing it. Even when gauges are available, good timpanists will check their intonation by ear before playing. Occasionally, timpanists use the pedals to retune while playing.

[[Portamento]] effects can be achieved by changing the pitch while it can still be heard. This is commonly called a ''[[glissando]]'', though this use of the term is not strictly correct. The most effective glissandos are those from low to high notes and those performed during rolls. One of the first composers to call for a timpani glissando was [[Carl Nielsen]], who used two sets of timpani playing glissandos at the same time in his [[Symphony No. 4 (Nielsen)|Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable")]].
{{listen |
 | filename = Bartók - Sonata for two pianos and percussion - Assai lento - Allegro molto (clip).ogg
 | title = Sonata for two pianos and percussion, first movement (excerpt)
 | description = This segment of [[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]'s Sonata for two pianos and percussion features pedal glissandos during a timpani roll.
|}} ''Pedaling'' refers to changing the pitch with the pedal; it is an alternate term for ''tuning''. In general, timpanists reserve this term for passages where they must change the pitch in the midst of playing. Early 20th-century composers such as Nielsen, [[Béla Bartók]], [[Samuel Barber]], and [[Richard Strauss]] took advantage of the freedom that pedal timpani afforded, often giving the timpani the bass line.
[[File:Bartók - Concerto for Orchestra - Timpani pedaling.png|thumb|center|500px|This chromatic passage from the ''Intermezzo interrotto'' movement of [[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]'s [[Concerto for Orchestra (Bartók)|Concerto for Orchestra]] requires the timpanist to use the pedals to play all the pitches. One way of executing this passage is annotated here: The lowest and highest drum stay on F and E{{music|flat}}, respectively. All pedaling is executed on the middle two drums. Each pedal change is indicated by a colored line: red for the larger and blue for the smaller of the middle drums.]]
{{listen |
 | filename = Bartók - Concerto for Orchestra (clip).ogg
 | title = Concerto for Orchestra (excerpt)
 | description = In this passage from the ''Intermezzo interrotto'' movement of [[Béla Bartók|Bartók]]'s [[Concerto for Orchestra (Bartók)|Concerto for Orchestra]], the timpanist plays a chromatic bass line, which requires using the pedal to change pitches.
|}}