[steady timpani drumming]
[timpani drumming intensifies]
- The timpani, or Romantic period instruments,
big, ringing, dark sound.
In the orchestra, I'm the only one that plays timpani.
I just have these bamboo sticks, felt, piano felt,
calf skins, metal bowls.
I mean, in some ways, it's not that fair
that we're supposed to make music with it.
[stately classical music]
A lot of people often say
the timpani player is a second conductor.
It's a little bit silly.
But you have to study the score like a conductor.
I have to know it to get the right sound.
I have to be focusing 99% of my ears
on what's happening in the trumpets,
what's happening in the strings, what is the conductor doing?
[bright classical music]
I have to be in the right place at the right time
with my playing, or it's gonna muddle those harmony changes,
which are really important in symphonies.
[stately classical music]
- The mallet creates the sound,
but the idea comes from the player,
and the idea is driven by the music.
So all of the designs for the sticks
come directly from the music.
[bright timpani sounds]
If we played a piece by Mozart,
we would want a stick that is articulate and bright,
like this stick with layers of suede leather.
So you can really hear the difference between this
and then a stick with felt on it.
If I play that same Mozart passage--
[deep timpani sounds]
To me, that sounds like, the sound is too legato,
* Wha wha wha wha wha wha wha wah *
when the music needs--
* Da da da da da da dee dee ya da da da dee *
[energetic orchestral music]
- I have everything that I need.
I have a ton of mallets, but, you know,
the more refined you get in thinking about sounds,
the more you want to dig deeper
into getting the sound that you want.
- Jason: All of our mallets are handmade,
and these are specifically made for Joe Pereira
and for the LA Philharmonic.
[energetic classical music]
We start with bamboo canes from China,
and the canes are sanded and dried,
and then the core of the mallet is glued on.
So the core determines the sound of the stick.
A wooden core has an articulate, bright sound.
A cork core has sort of a softer, lighter sound.
A felt core gives a darker sound.
Once the core is glued onto the stick,
we're going to glue piano felt.
So we take a layer of this and glue it on the stick,
and then it looks like this.
Now it's ready to be covered with timpani felt.
It's wool felt and it comes in various densities.
So what we do is cut circles out of it.
And we do all the sewing with dental floss
because it has a high tensile strength,
and because it's waxed.
So when you double it over, it sticks to itself.
This is where it's a two-man job.
Even for soft mallets, we want to have a very tight wrap
so that the stick wears evenly over time.
We're gonna do a process called voicing.
Helps to break in the felt before we play it.
Joe is always trying to explore
the maximum number of sound possibilities
that he can get out of the sticks.
So we've done a variation of this with more felt.
We did one with less felt, different bamboo,
different sizes.
And that's it! - Cool.
[deep timpani tone]
[timpani sound fluctuating]
Yeah, it's very consistent, you know, from soft,
the attack sound is consistent from soft
to louder dynamics in the whole range.
Clear tone, and the stick feels really good too.
So it's great.
[water splashing]
The timpani has been using calf and goatskin heads
since beginning of the timpani in the orchestra.
How long these heads last?
It really, basically depends on
how much you play on 'em.
Probably two times a year, I have to change 'em.
So I'm trying to get it, you know,
centered and tucked on here
on this metal hoop as evenly as possible.
Try to get as much air and water out of there as possible,
and these wrinkles will come out as I tuck this under.
I like the calfskin heads
because it naturally has a richer, wider sound.
You know... [sonorous timpani sound]
You get the attack sound
of the mallet head hitting the head of the drum,
but you also get this warmth that happens after I play
that fills it in.
And I can play with that a little bit,
make it a bit brighter with a harder stick,
or make it a quicker, [drum sounding] stroke.
I mean, that's where the technique comes in.
Okay, so that's pretty much it.
Now, let's try and get some of the air out real quick.
In here, keep that.
Now, the only thing I had to worry about
is getting it on evenly
so it dries even, and then it'll be a nice,
clear, ringing tone.
And I put the counter hoop on.
Tuning rod back in the same spot they were originally in.
[metal clanking together]
It's pretty even, looks good.
I want the part that I tucked to dry as fast as possible.
So I cover this,
and it should be done in three days from now.
And that is ready to play, and that's it.
[energetic classical music]
Trying to get the right sound is endless.
But for me, the excitement is about the technique,
the sticks, the drums, the heads, the concert hall,
the conductor, all working together.
[energetic classical music]
[audience applauding]