professional timpanist. As a student, for example, I perfected my roll, the staccato and legato stroke, worked on phrasing, and strove to develop a beautiful sound. Yet, there were no studies beyond a certain stage of advancement to channel these techniques so as to develop them further. With due respect to all the fine books available today, I felt the need to write something to fill this gap. The demands made by the classical and the modern composer on the solo timpanist today require the greatest technical and musical finesse. As it is extremely difficult to obtain many of these parts, it is almost impossible to prepare oneself to play them with ease and conviction. All of the etudes in this book pose problems related to some of the most difficult works in the clasical and modern repertoire. For example: complicated changing meters, technique on one to six timpani, piano-staccato problems in the low register, forte-piano rolls with crescendo, glissandi up as well as down, cross sticking, tuning, melodic passages, double stops, odd rhythmic groupings, correct sticking, difficult solfege problems, and (very important) suggestion fo what type stick to use to bring out the best sound and clarity from the instrument. The solo timpanist has been called the assistant conductor---the backbone of the orchestra. A fine player is well deserving of such a title. He has within his reach the dynamic power to lift the orchestra to dramatic heights, assist in retaining its rhythmic compactness, and lend many beautiful sonorities to the over-all sound of the orchestra. A symphony orchestra is like a magnificent pyramid, each instrument a block, each choir a tier. The solo timpanist must certainly be one of the solid cornerstones in such a beautiful piece of architecture." [from foreword]

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