kettledrum
Other forms: kettledrums
A kettledrum is a very large drum typically consisting of a drum head stretched across a copper bowl. Most large orchestras include kettledrums in their percussion section.
A typical set of kettledrums has four different sizes of drums, but some orchestras have eight or more. If you've ever noticed a sound like thunder in a classical piece of music, you're probably hearing the kettledrum. The word comes from the kettle-like shape of the drum's bowl, and kettledrums are also commonly called timpani.
Definitions of kettledrum
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a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
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type of:
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percussion instrument, percussive instrument
a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another
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percussion instrument, percussive instrument
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