Band Teachers’ Corner: Tympani Tuning and Pedal Slip
If you have tympani in your classroom, you have to maintain them by tuning the drum heads regularly in order to keep the pedal system working properly. A common issue is that the tympani will not stay in tune, that the pedals slip either up or down. Quite often a simple fix that will get your tympani working in their range is tuning them to range.
1) Learn the tuning system of your tympani
Two of the brands commonly found in classrooms are Ludwig and Yamaha. These tympani commonly function with spring tension pedals. Some older drums might be on a ratchet, or Dresden system. In this article I talk specifically about Spring Tension tympani tuning and pedals.
2) Budget and prioritize what you need
If you have a tympani tuning key, you can tune your tympani. Definitely hire a professional to install, balance, and clear a new tympani head. If you’re able to hire a local percussionist to assess your tympani and what they need, and to get them to tune them. But if you are outside of a major city center or are too far for someone to come tune your tympani, you can do it yourself. Before you begin, you will need to sort out the range of your tympani based on size and make. Measure from inside the rim across to the inside of the rim to get your size.
3) Tuning Ranges for Tympani
Your tympani ranges vary depending on the make of your drums. Ludwig drums tend to have this bass clef range:
32” E - Bb, 29” A - D, 26” Bb - F, 23” C - G or A
YAMAHA tympani have a larger note range:
32” D - Bb, 29” F - Db, 26” A - F, 23” C - Ab
4) Tuning the Drums
To tune your tympani, you need the manufacturer’s tuning key. This is not a standard drum tuning key. The tension rods are larger on a tympano than on a regular hooped drum.
Next, step on the pedal so the HEEL of the pedal is to the floor. Stay standing on the pedal while you tap around the drum to assess the lowest tuning of the drum. Tune the tension rods one at a time, across from each in a star pattern, listening to the main pitch overtone while tapping near the edge of the drum, where you would normally get the best tone out of your drum (1-2” from the edge). Adjust to the specific note by either tightening or loosening the tension rod, adjust the rod across from it, doing this all the way around the drum head. Next, you will fine tune the pitch with smaller partial turns. If you are in the correct tuning range for the drum, the pedal should stay relatively in place. If there is a lot of slipping up or down, you will need to adjust the tension of the pedal. Two ways to get your pitch are to use a tuner or to play a pitch on another mallet instrument. The overtones on the drum can make this job more challenging than it seems. You may wish to put a piece of material in the center of the drum to dampen it and get a clearer tone from the tension rod.
5) Adjust pedal tension
This last step is only necessary if your tension issues are not resolved by the tuning of the head. The pedal tension adjustment on a Ludwig tympani is on the base of the bowl. It will look like a T rod or a dial. This is somewhat difficult to turn. A Yamaha tension is at the base of the pedal, right on the heel. Turning to the right will tighten the tension, turning to the left will loosen the tension.
The Video Below is a great quick video to help you get through this process. Thank you, McCafferty Percussion for permission to share.
Resources for tuning tympani:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hat84GN0-E
Still unsure? Set up a consultation in Calgary with Celene.
Celene Yohemas is a percussionist, drummer and educator in Calgary, AB. She has more than 26 years experience teaching thousands of new students how to play and helping teachers create percussion sections that thrive.