Timpani is a type of percussion instrument. It consists of a drum head and a drum, and a drum stick. The timpani is the cornerstone of a wind orchestra. The drum head was originally made of animal leather, and a plastic drum head was invented in the 1950s. Drum barrels were originally made of copper, but now lighter synthetic fiber materials are commonly used.

      The Timpani consists of the drum body, the skin, the tuning system, and the cymbal. Drum body: metal structure; drum skin: cattle, sheep, donkey skin, or use synthetic materials

The drum body of the percussion timpani is made of copper, and then the drum body is covered with the drum skin. Because the timpani has only one eardrum, and the drum body has the function of adjusting the sound, there will be no complicated resonance phenomenon, so the timpani can recognize the rhythm. A common saying is that the timpani skin must be 100% round, otherwise the sound produced will never be pure and clear. The traditional timpani skin is made of calfskin, but today the use of plastic leather is more common than calfskin. This is because the material of the plastic film is less likely to be due to the natural environment (temperature, humidity, etc.) ) Changes and affect its original sound, it is easier to obtain, but the timpani skin made of animal skin is often easy to affect its original sound quality due to changes in the external environment. But in terms of timbre, the tympanic membrane of the animal skin is better than the plastic membrane. The sound is pure, thick and full. Therefore, if you choose to play on the timpani with animal skin, you need higher skills to overcome its characteristics of being easily affected by the external environment.

     The characteristics of percussion manufacturers' musical instruments: Timpani is a single membrane musical instrument, which is expensive to manufacture. Timpani sounds at a fixed frequency (ie, pitch) and can change pitch over a range of five degrees. The sound is soft and full, the volume can be controlled, different velocities can express different music contents, and sometimes even the melody can be played directly. There are two kinds of performance methods: solo and roll, solo is mostly used for rhythmic accompaniment, and roll can simulate thunder, and the effect is realistic.

As a color percussion instrument, the timpani is far more expressive than ordinary percussion instruments.

     The timpani is divided into three types: large, medium and small. In symphony bands, three to four are usually set and played by a musician. On the surface, the timpani is almost an easy-to-play instrument, but in practice drummers need considerable confidence and a sense of time to successfully navigate it. The drummer often sits silently for several hours, and then counts the chapters, giving a deafening blow at the mouth when it is impossible to intervene, and every mistake will be known.