Authors of method books for timpani from John Beck to Garwood Whaley outline techniques for achieving staccato and sometimes legato articulations on timpani.
Legato and staccato techniques are two of the many components that go into playing timpani. They are usually the first on which to concentrate and are important to develop in order to contribute, musically, within any ensemble. It is equally important to understand why timpanists employ these techniques. Legato and staccato techniques alone are not going to achieve distinct articulations. I do not intend to indicate that the authors of the methods I have mentioned imply this. My point here is to make a clear connection between different stroke motions and other principles that will achieve the desired articulation. These are my opinions and it is important to realize that there are always exceptions although few, far, and in between.
In an earlier article, “Refining Details of Percussion Performance Part One: Natural Motion” I outlined the three parts of a stroke, downward and upward motions, and the inevitable change in direction. The change in direction is the critical point of a stroke and the point I wish highlight for a moment. The bounce of a ball is often used by instructors to make a visual analogy to the motion of a stroke. This is a clear and useful concept. There is a fine distinction however between a ball dropping to a surface and a mallet “dropping” to a surface namely the player holding the handle of that mallet. The natural change of direction can be modified by the player’s fingers, wrist, arm or a combination of all three. Throughout the rest of this article I will refer to “natural rebound” of the mallet being the change of direction on its own without any player influence.
The first part of Newton’s First Law of Motion needs to be considered here, “a body in motion tends to stay in motion …”. A player may continue the downward motion with the wrist and arm for a fraction of time after the mallet has made contact and is “naturally rebounding”. This would follow the principle of Newton’s first law. This does not suggest a “buzz” stroke, but a slower smoother motion of the wrist and arm. Contrary to that, a player moving a mallet downward at a given velocity may change direction, using the fingers as well as the wrist and arm, a fraction of time sooner than the mallet would “naturally rebound”.
Defining this “fraction of time” could go from the extreme of continuing the stroke to the point of completely stopping the resonance (usually referred to as a “dead stroke”) to barely making any contact (sometimes referred to as a “ghost note”[i]) or no contact at all (“air” drumming as it were). Changing direction sooner or later than the “natural rebound” should be practiced by all students of timpani, but at much more subtle variations (perhaps tenths or even hundredths of a second). I do not intend to address those extremes in this article. These are generally used as special effects; otherwise they are often the products of untrained players.
A natural stroke, as I explained in the earlier article, would be one in which the player changes direction in perfect coordination with the “natural rebound”. Modifying the change of direction to slightly before or after the “natural rebound” implies a refined amount of time, again tenths or even hundredths of a second. The involvement of the fingers, wrists, and/or arms will vary greatly with changes in dynamic and surfaces. All these efforts need to be coordinated and practiced so they can be performed consistently. This skill is at the heart of mastering and controlling the motion of a stroke and therefore playing timpani.
In his Concepts for Timpani[ii], John Beck outlines and defines three speeds of lift: Slow, Medium, and Fast. He provides notated exercises for which these three speeds would best be applied respectively.
A “Slow Lift” is primarily used when performing long note values and may imply changing direction after the “natural rebound”. A “Medium Lift” is primarily used when performing moderate note values and may imply changing direction in perfect coordination with the “natural rebound”. A “Fast Lift” is primarily used when performing short note values and may imply changing direction before the “natural rebound”.
Changing direction later than the “natural rebound” would mean that the material of the mallet would be in contact with the drum head longer. This would result in the surface being dampened or prevented from some vibration. The conclusion then is: a “Slow Lift” or legato stroke would actually produce a shorter sound and by definition staccato. Changing direction sooner than the “natural rebound” would mean that the material of the mallet would have contact with the drum for less time. This would result in the surface being allowed to vibrate freely because of less obstruction. The conclusion then would be that a “Fast Lift” or staccato stroke would actually produce more resonance and by definition legato.
There is one more element of motion that is critical to consider – the speed of the stroke or velocity. The speed of the stroke should be in direct relation to the volume produced. However, it is probably more accurate to describe producing more or less volume the same way Leigh Howard Stevens describes it in his, Method of Movement for Marimba[iii], “…’ring length’ of a given object is determined by how much energy is applied to it … not lift strokes.”
I apply the same principle to playing timpani. When a mallet moving faster makes contact with a drum head the felt will compresses and create a temporarily harder mallet and thus a clearer articulation. We cannot ignore however the fact that the timpani will resonate whether we lift slightly before or after the “natural rebound”. Also, the timpani will resonate whether we stop the lift motion close to the surface or far away.
Mallet hardness is one of the most effective mediums through which to achieve changes in articulation. Muffling, that is physically stopping the head from vibrating by using the hand or using felt mufflers, is the most effective and significant way to create a staccato articulation. All considered we really cannot create a staccato articulation we simply prevent legato – we stop the head from vibrating. The vibration of a head, its resonance, is not going to be significantly altered by modifying the timing of the “natural rebound” or distance from the surface the lift stroke stops. Applying more energy to the stroke is the surest way to achieve a louder dynamic, less energy will achieve a softer dynamic. Never confuse dynamic with articulation when evaluating a desired sound from your timpanist as well as the rest of your percussion section. Articulation and dynamic are two distinct elements of music and they are obtained through distinct approaches to technique including an appropriate mallet choice.
The most significant techniques that will effect articulation are muffling then mallet hardness. Stroke type is the third and most subtle factor that will affect articulation. Why then are legato and staccato techniques taught and used? Why do timpanists and percussionists, some more than others, use these different motions? It is natural to use a motion that represents the resulting sound. A staccato articulation at any dynamic requires a harder mallet, a fast rebound, and immediate muffling. To make a warm, long, rich tone, at any dynamic a player will choose a softer mallet and a lift stroke that continues to move away from the surface relative to the length of resonance. Professional timpanists and percussionists apply their own unique approach to these principles and create their own unique sound and look. This becomes part of their trademark. Students of timpani and percussion should attend college and professional concerts and observe these concepts in action.
[i] Some percussionists refer to “ghost” notes synonymously with grace notes. I like to refer to “ghost” notes as notes a player intends to play, but for the technical reasons, many of which I am outlining here such as lifting earlier than naturally, produce very little sound or no sound at all.
[ii] Beck, John. Concepts for Timpani. New York, New York: Carl Fischer, 2001.
[iii] Stevens, Leigh Howard. Method of Movement for Marimba: with 590 exercises. 4th Printing. Asbury Park: Keyboard Percussion Publications by Marimba Productions, 1997.
Legato and staccato techniques are two of the many components that go into playing timpani. They are usually the first on which to concentrate and are important to develop in order to contribute, musically, within any ensemble. It is equally important to understand why timpanists employ these techniques. Legato and staccato techniques alone are not going to achieve distinct articulations. I do not intend to indicate that the authors of the methods I have mentioned imply this. My point here is to make a clear connection between different stroke motions and other principles that will achieve the desired articulation. These are my opinions and it is important to realize that there are always exceptions although few, far, and in between.
In an earlier article, “Refining Details of Percussion Performance Part One: Natural Motion” I outlined the three parts of a stroke, downward and upward motions, and the inevitable change in direction. The change in direction is the critical point of a stroke and the point I wish highlight for a moment. The bounce of a ball is often used by instructors to make a visual analogy to the motion of a stroke. This is a clear and useful concept. There is a fine distinction however between a ball dropping to a surface and a mallet “dropping” to a surface namely the player holding the handle of that mallet. The natural change of direction can be modified by the player’s fingers, wrist, arm or a combination of all three. Throughout the rest of this article I will refer to “natural rebound” of the mallet being the change of direction on its own without any player influence.
The first part of Newton’s First Law of Motion needs to be considered here, “a body in motion tends to stay in motion …”. A player may continue the downward motion with the wrist and arm for a fraction of time after the mallet has made contact and is “naturally rebounding”. This would follow the principle of Newton’s first law. This does not suggest a “buzz” stroke, but a slower smoother motion of the wrist and arm. Contrary to that, a player moving a mallet downward at a given velocity may change direction, using the fingers as well as the wrist and arm, a fraction of time sooner than the mallet would “naturally rebound”.
Defining this “fraction of time” could go from the extreme of continuing the stroke to the point of completely stopping the resonance (usually referred to as a “dead stroke”) to barely making any contact (sometimes referred to as a “ghost note”[i]) or no contact at all (“air” drumming as it were). Changing direction sooner or later than the “natural rebound” should be practiced by all students of timpani, but at much more subtle variations (perhaps tenths or even hundredths of a second). I do not intend to address those extremes in this article. These are generally used as special effects; otherwise they are often the products of untrained players.
A natural stroke, as I explained in the earlier article, would be one in which the player changes direction in perfect coordination with the “natural rebound”. Modifying the change of direction to slightly before or after the “natural rebound” implies a refined amount of time, again tenths or even hundredths of a second. The involvement of the fingers, wrists, and/or arms will vary greatly with changes in dynamic and surfaces. All these efforts need to be coordinated and practiced so they can be performed consistently. This skill is at the heart of mastering and controlling the motion of a stroke and therefore playing timpani.
In his Concepts for Timpani[ii], John Beck outlines and defines three speeds of lift: Slow, Medium, and Fast. He provides notated exercises for which these three speeds would best be applied respectively.
A “Slow Lift” is primarily used when performing long note values and may imply changing direction after the “natural rebound”. A “Medium Lift” is primarily used when performing moderate note values and may imply changing direction in perfect coordination with the “natural rebound”. A “Fast Lift” is primarily used when performing short note values and may imply changing direction before the “natural rebound”.
Changing direction later than the “natural rebound” would mean that the material of the mallet would be in contact with the drum head longer. This would result in the surface being dampened or prevented from some vibration. The conclusion then is: a “Slow Lift” or legato stroke would actually produce a shorter sound and by definition staccato. Changing direction sooner than the “natural rebound” would mean that the material of the mallet would have contact with the drum for less time. This would result in the surface being allowed to vibrate freely because of less obstruction. The conclusion then would be that a “Fast Lift” or staccato stroke would actually produce more resonance and by definition legato.
There is one more element of motion that is critical to consider – the speed of the stroke or velocity. The speed of the stroke should be in direct relation to the volume produced. However, it is probably more accurate to describe producing more or less volume the same way Leigh Howard Stevens describes it in his, Method of Movement for Marimba[iii], “…’ring length’ of a given object is determined by how much energy is applied to it … not lift strokes.”
I apply the same principle to playing timpani. When a mallet moving faster makes contact with a drum head the felt will compresses and create a temporarily harder mallet and thus a clearer articulation. We cannot ignore however the fact that the timpani will resonate whether we lift slightly before or after the “natural rebound”. Also, the timpani will resonate whether we stop the lift motion close to the surface or far away.
Mallet hardness is one of the most effective mediums through which to achieve changes in articulation. Muffling, that is physically stopping the head from vibrating by using the hand or using felt mufflers, is the most effective and significant way to create a staccato articulation. All considered we really cannot create a staccato articulation we simply prevent legato – we stop the head from vibrating. The vibration of a head, its resonance, is not going to be significantly altered by modifying the timing of the “natural rebound” or distance from the surface the lift stroke stops. Applying more energy to the stroke is the surest way to achieve a louder dynamic, less energy will achieve a softer dynamic. Never confuse dynamic with articulation when evaluating a desired sound from your timpanist as well as the rest of your percussion section. Articulation and dynamic are two distinct elements of music and they are obtained through distinct approaches to technique including an appropriate mallet choice.
The most significant techniques that will effect articulation are muffling then mallet hardness. Stroke type is the third and most subtle factor that will affect articulation. Why then are legato and staccato techniques taught and used? Why do timpanists and percussionists, some more than others, use these different motions? It is natural to use a motion that represents the resulting sound. A staccato articulation at any dynamic requires a harder mallet, a fast rebound, and immediate muffling. To make a warm, long, rich tone, at any dynamic a player will choose a softer mallet and a lift stroke that continues to move away from the surface relative to the length of resonance. Professional timpanists and percussionists apply their own unique approach to these principles and create their own unique sound and look. This becomes part of their trademark. Students of timpani and percussion should attend college and professional concerts and observe these concepts in action.
[i] Some percussionists refer to “ghost” notes synonymously with grace notes. I like to refer to “ghost” notes as notes a player intends to play, but for the technical reasons, many of which I am outlining here such as lifting earlier than naturally, produce very little sound or no sound at all.
[ii] Beck, John. Concepts for Timpani. New York, New York: Carl Fischer, 2001.
[iii] Stevens, Leigh Howard. Method of Movement for Marimba: with 590 exercises. 4th Printing. Asbury Park: Keyboard Percussion Publications by Marimba Productions, 1997.