timpani
Timpani are large drums that are common in most orchestras. Have you've ever heard something that sounded like thunder in a song? That's probably timpani!
You can also call timpani kettledrums. They're big percussion instruments that can be tuned to specific pitches using a foot pedal, and they're played with soft-headed mallets that professional timpanists usually make themselves. Today's timpani evolved from military drums used during the Civil War. When you're talking about one individual drum, call it a timpano.
Definitions of timpani
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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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synonyms:
kettle, kettledrum, tympani, tympanum
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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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