Page "Timpani" Paragraph 38

Throughout their education, timpanists are trained as percussionists, and they learn to play all instruments of the percussion family along with timpani.

However, when appointed to a principal timpani chair in a professional ensemble, a timpanist is not normally required to play any other instruments.

In his book Anatomy of the Orchestra, Norman Del Mar writes that the timpanist is " king of his own province ", and that " a good timpanist really does set the standard of the whole orchestra.

" A qualified member of the percussion section sometimes doubles as associate timpanist, performing in repertoire requiring multiple timpanists and filling in for the principal timpanist when required.