Timpani Method Books

Mitchell Peters Fundamental Method for Timpani is a great collection of exercises and etudes, and designed for the early timpani student. The history section in the beginning is great, and could be a useful resource for graduate students studying for qualifying exams. While not organized into “chapters” per se, there are also helpful discussions on how to annotate orchestral timpani parts, and practical exercises for techniques like muffling and pedaling.

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Raynor Carroll’s Exercises, Etudes, and Solos for Timpani is one of my favorite timpani books. It’s cleanly organized by specific techniques as “chapters,” which include multiple, short etudes and orchestral excerpts focused around those skills (i.e. legato strokes, staccato strokes, muffling, rolls, etc.). The incredible bonus of this book is the “solos” section, which are some of my favorite pieces for recitals, juries, and studio class performances. I like this for the intermediate timpanist looking to hone in on some orchestral playing.

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