6
Adjusting The Sound Of Your Timpani
Striking point
Pedal
When using the pedal timpani for the first time after unpacking, make sure to set it up according
to the instructions of section “Before Using The Pedal Timpani” on pages 4 and 5.
When loosening the tuning bolts, always
loosen them by double the desired amount,
and then return (retighten) them by half.
When the sound lies within 1 halftone
below the desired pitch after loosening
the tuning bolts (repeatedly, if necessary),
proceed with step
3.
3 Lightly strike the head with the mallet about 2
inch (5 cm) from the kettle edge at each tuning
bolt. Check at which tuning bolt the sound is
highest.
● Pitch of highest sound higher than tuning
note
→ Loosen the corresponding tuning bolt by
about 1/16 to 1/8 of a turn. First loosen
the bolt by double the desired amount,
and then return (retighten) it by half. After
loosening the tuning bolt, repeat from the
beginning of step
3.
● Pitch of highest sound lower than tuning
note
→ Go to step
4.
4 Tighten the other bolts little by little (by about 1/
16 to 1/8 of a turn) until the sounds at the corre-
sponding striking points match the pitch of the
highest sound. Please note that tightening of
one bolt will also raise the pitch at the neighbor-
ing and opposite tuning bolts. Thus, after tight-
ening the tuning bolt with the lowest sound, first
reconfirm the sound at the other tuning bolts
before tightening the tuning bolt with the next
lower sound. While alternately tightening the other
bolts, do not touch the tuning bolt with the high-
est sound (reference pitch).
5 Loosen all overtightened bolts according to the
procedure described in step
3. When the pitch is
approximately the same at each bolt, repeatedly
depress the toe and heel of the pedal several
times.
1 Tuning is performed for the lowest sound (note)
of the timpani.
For this reason, the heel of the pedal must stay
fully lowered during the tuning procedure.
The proper lowest note (and tonal range) de-
pends on the size of your timpani. For example,
as shown in the figure below, the lowest sound
of a 26” timpani should be tuned to A. When
tuned properly, your Yamaha timpani will give
you its full tonal range without being
overtensioned.
z Head Tuning* (* Adjusting the head tension to a specific note)
■ Standard Tonal Ranges for Yamaha Timpani
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 stan-
dard striking point is shown below.
● Sound lower than tuning note
→ Go to step
3.
● Sound higher than tuning note
→ Loosen tuning bolts by an equal amount
in the order shown in the figure of step
5
on page 5.
The standard striking
point lies at distance
B from the kettle
edge, which corre-
sponds to 1/4 to 1/3 of
distance A (distance
between kettle edge
and center of head).
32" (81cm) 29" (74cm) 26" (66cm) 23" (58cm) 20" (51cm)
02.12.5, 6:27 PMPage 6