20
Before playing the pedal timpani for the first time after purchase, make sure you properly
adjust the head following the procedure in the
“Initial Preparation”
section on pages 18-19.
n
Head Tuning
1
Tuning is adjusted on the lowest note of the
timpani. For this reason, the heel of the pedal
must stay fully lowered during the tuning proce
-
dure. The pitch of the lowest note (and the tonal
range) depends on the size of your timpani. For
example, as shown in the chart below, the low
-
est sound of a 29” timpani should be tuned to
F. When tuned properly, your Yamaha timpani
will play throughout its full tonal range with bal
-
anced tension in the pedal.
The standard striking
point lies at distance B
from the bearing edge,
which corresponds ap
-
proximately to 1/4 to 1/3
of the distance between
the bearing edge and
the center of the head.
l
Usable Tonal Ranges for Yamaha Timpani
Striking point
Pedal
Keep the heel of the pedal fully lowered during
the tuning procedure (steps
2
through
7
below)
if not specified otherwise.
2
Strike the head and check the sound.
The standard striking point is shown below.
Adjusting the Pitch
• Sound is lower than the tuning note
g
Go to step
3
.
• Sound is higher than the tuning note
g
Loosen the tension rods by an equal
amount in the order shown in the figure of
step
2
on page 18.
When loosening the tension rods, always
loosen them by twice the desired amount,
and then return (re-tighten) them by half.
When the sound lies within 1 semitone
below the desired pitch after loosening
the tension rods (repeatedly, if neces
-
sary), proceed with step
3
.
Do not tune the timpani to a pitch outside
of its usable range. Doing so can damage
the instrument.
Note
32"
(81cm)
27"
(69cm)
24"
(61cm)
29"
(74cm)
26"
(66cm)
23"
(58cm)
20"
(51cm)
D B
b
F D
b
A
b
E A F
B G C A
b
E C
B
A
G
F
C
F
D
C
B
A
E
C
A
G
F
E
B
G
F
E
D
A
F
E
D
C
G
E
D
C
B
A
F
D
C
G
E
B
32"
27"
24"
29"
26"
23"
20"
02_timpani_2015_E.indd 20
2015/11/20 9:12:00
