Free Online Virtual Timpani Studio

Our virtual timpani uses a sine-wave oscillator with a descending pitch envelope — the pitch drops from the fundamental to roughly half over 1.

5 seconds — reproducing the deep, resonant sound of struck kettle drums. Tap to play each drum.

Standard orchestral sets use 4–5 drums ranging from 32 inches (low D) down to 20 inches (high C).

Our virtual version gives you 5 chromatic pitches covering a practical range: C2, F2, Bb2, Eb3, and G3.

A real timpani head is stretched calfskin or plastic over a copper kettle.

When struck, the head initially vibrates at one pitch (stretched tension) but the tension relaxes slightly as the head rings, causing a subtle downward pitch bend — especially on larger drums. Our synthesis faithfully reproduces this effect.

A pedal mechanism changes the tension of the drumhead by tilting the kettle or moving the hoop.

The pedal locks into detents for precise tuning. Modern timpani have a tuning gauge for each drum. Timpanists must tune quickly between or even during pieces.

Timpani mallets have felt, wood, or synthetic heads on thin sticks.

Harder mallets produce a brighter, more articulate sound; softer mallets produce a darker, more blended tone. Timpanists typically switch mallets between pieces or even movements to match the musical character.

A 32-inch drum can be tuned from D2 (73 Hz) to about A2 (110 Hz).

A 29-inch drum covers F2 to C3. A 26-inch drum covers Bb2 to F3. A 23-inch drum covers Eb3 to Bb3. A 20-inch drum covers G3 to D4. Larger drums produce lower pitches; smaller drums produce higher pitches.

Yes — tap Record to begin capturing audio output.

Stop to finalize and save your recording as .webm.

Beethoven's Symphony No.

5 opens with the famous 'fate' rhythm on timpani. His Symphony No. 9 has demanding timpani writing. Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta features a timpani glissando. Holst's The Planets uses timpani extensively. Modern film scores use timpani for epic, dramatic climaxes.

Most orchestras use 4 timpani (one player).

Larger orchestral works may require 5 drums. Mahler's symphonies sometimes call for two timpanists with 5–6 drums total. The player must retune drums between pieces, and often during pieces, using the pedal mechanism.

Timpani are tunable drums that produce definite pitches — you can play specific notes (C, F, Bb, etc.

). The bass drum is an indefinite-pitch drum that produces a low thud without discernible pitch. Timpani heads are calfskin or plastic stretched over a copper kettle; bass drums have two heads on a cylindrical shell.