ABSTRACT
Kettledrums (oen called timpani, from the Italian, and played in pairs) are the most important percussion instruments of the orchestra. ey are the only member of the drum family in Western art music that can produce notes of denite pitch and thus take part in the harmonic fabric of the music. Each drum in the orchestra is tuned to a given note according to the directions in the musical score. During the performance of a work their pitches can be changed as required by tightening or slackening the drumhead, either by means of screws placed equidistantly around its circumference or by other mechanical means such as a lever or pedal.
