Timpani-centric excerpts from RSNO's Mahler Symphony no.1 (05.10.2019) 

Great pun but sooo true

Thank you for your vigorous enthusiasm and kind words! I will do my best to live up to their lofty heights!

@@PaulPhilbert You are the reason that my 11 year old grandson is studying orchestral percussion. We toasted with goblets of ginger ale when you received your MBE. Wishing you continued successes!

@@hadiza2 Oh my, that’s SO lovely to hear! ❤️ ALL best wishes to your grandson! 😊

Thank you for your kind words! 😊

Thank YOU for your enthusiasm and kind words! 😊

Hi Clem! I’m delighted to hear of your son’s growing confidence! Please extend my very best wishes for his ongoing percussion studies! 🤓

I 200% agree! In addition to this nice sound, Paul's intonation is always perfect as well.

You are too kind Monsieur! I hope that you are well and that all is GrOoVy with you and yours! 😎

Thank you kindly! :-)

Thank you kindly! 😊

Timpani View ..is that you Eric?!? I can’t make you out from your thumbnail. Hopefully we’ll be able to travel without fear and complication sometime soon! ❤️Japan!❤️

@@PaulPhilbert Hi Paul! It's me, eric in Japan. I love your incredible playing! I was really moved by your sounds! Hope that we can meet up again after these Corona times are finished!

@@Nightowl1981 Hi Eric! There’s some speculation that we might be heading to Japan in 2023..! 🤞🏽 I’ll keep you posted.. 😎

@@PaulPhilbert Hi Paul!! Awesome! I will be very happy to meet you again, especially in Japan! Cheers, -eric

Greetings from Glasgow and good luck with your studies! 😊

Thank you kindly! 🙏🏽

Terima kasih banyak-banyak Encik Wilson! 😊

@@PaulPhilbert kesenangan tuan! menantikan bacaan masa depan☘️

Thank you very much! 🙏🏽

Dear @Symphorch, thank you for your kind words and enquiry! With regard to roll speed, I'd say that it's of utmost importance to relax. Beyond that, I try to allow the "bounce" of the stick to do as much work for me as possible and then using the pivot point (between 1st finger & thumb), then fingers, then flexible wrists, and then arms to the elbow, and beyond (if necessary), in that order, to help me to return the stick to the head in order to repeat the cycle. Throughout this it very important to do your very best to stay relaxed! The basis of your technique and choice of mallet could make all of the above easier, or harder for you, so it's worth trying out many different methods and types of stick until you find something that works for you. Beyond that, focussed practice should help you to obtain a more controlled, consistent and faster roll. These are just my thoughts. I do hope that you find them useful. 😊 All best wishes to you!

Thanks! I link to the full performance at the end of this video. Enjoy! 😊

Hi Gary, Many thanks for your kind words! In terms of grip, personally, I use both depending on the moment and what feels most comfortable. I encourage everyone to find what works best for them and to pursue that approach vigiurously. Fortunately, we are not all the same, thus you should not be forced into one school or the other.. As for CD recordings, I remain very pleased with pretty much all the stuff that we recorded with the FABULOUS Kees Bakels in my years with the Malaysian Philharmonic! Also, there's an RSNO recording of Delibes Ballet Suites with Neeme Jarvi that was great fun to record! For something a tad different, please check out Thomas Wilson Symphony No.5 (RSNO), and then there's the award winning recording of both Chopin's Piano Concertos with Benjamin Grosvenor and Elim Chan! I used the baby Wiener Pauken for those, and I just love the sound! :-)

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dKCKp6-M7jU.html

Dear d4ncheng, thank you for your interest. I have very many pairs of sticks. I will start a project with many different pairs of sticks out and will try different pairs throughout the rehearsal process and will distill my selection as I go. By the time of the performances, I tend to change sticks depending on the practical and musical requirements of any given passage. As the sticks appear, from left to right, they range from very soft and quite heavy, to lighter but extremely hard compressed felt (sounding almost identical to wood). The feel of each pair of sticks can also be quite different and I find that this can transform my expressive relationship with the head of the timp. This may sound strange, but it's difficult to put into words.. it is very much about the balance of the sticks and how they move in my hands, coupled with the sound that they produce on the head with minimal physical interference from me (essentially a neutral, very relaxed stroke). From this place I can then change my physicality to alter the attack, articulation, timbre, depth of sound, colour etc.. I do hope that this makes sense! :-)

@@PaulPhilbert thanks for the tutorial!!! I can feel your passion. It's from mechanic sense to acoustic sense. It's like Martial arts. Looking forward to hearing more.

You’re very kind, thanks! Currently I teach at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and also at the Leeds Conservatoire of Music here in the UK. If you are able, please apply! 😊

Hi Bo Fu, thanks for your message! Most of my mallets are made by Bernard Yong (search for “B-Mallets”) he’s based in Singapore and also Paul Turner (Principal Timpanist of the BBC Philharmonic). Very best wishes to you too!

Hi @alvaropanosbeltra9808, thanks for your comment. I don't entirely understand your question. Can you be more specific please? Thanks! :-)

You push the head at the end of the roll !!! For mi sound bad ( not define the end )

@@mariorodriguez2299 sorry! 😳

Hi Owen, thanks for your curiosity! In fact, I do not (yet..!!.. 🤓) own a pair of Kato mallets. The vast majority of my sticks are made by either Bernard Yong (B-Mallets) in Singapore or Paul Turner (BBC Philharmonic). Stick choice is a VERY personal business and I’ve been very fortunate that both Bernard and Paul have been happy to respond to my requests. I cannot recommend their magnificent craftsmanship highly enough! That said, my favourite mallets may well not be yours, so I would simply encourage you to explore this vast and varied world in search of perfection. It will seldom disappoint you! 😊

@@PaulPhilbertwhere can I find the mallets that Paul makes?? I’d like to see his own ones. I’ve used Sean Hoopers and Angelini mallets and still not found my kind of brand yet 🥲

@@owencook2404 you can find Paul via Facebook! He’s on my friends list. Drop him a line from there. 😊

Hi. Thanks for your interest. The heads on these instruments are made of calfskin and, whilst they sound warmer and more full-bodied than plastic heads (IMO), they are sensitive to changes in humidity, temperature and pressure and can be quite volatile sometimes. I’m leaning over to check the pitch as discretely as possible and hopefully not disturb my colleagues during the performance. I do hope that this answers your query. 😊

@@PaulPhilbert Ah, natural skins....like sea weed, you can tell when rain is imminent, when they slacken off with the humidity. I believe older drummers sometimes had a light bulb inside their snare drum to keep its calf skin head snappy. I have some frame drums I built myself using goatskins. On occasion they are at a perfect tension when the climate is just right. I happily drop everything to sound them at those times and feel the vibe, without having to moisten them with a damp cloth or wave them around in the air for a few minutes. But to be honest, the more I use natural skins, the more I think why ever did plastic become so ubiquitous! Theres so much variety and intricacy in each skin

@@GOLDSMITHEXILE I couldn’t agree more! Natural skins FTW! 👍🏽🤓👍🏽

Tuning them.

LOTS! But many are in rotation to ensure that I always have a good selection at the peak of their playability. Also, depending on the repertoire, some get used much more than others.

And you ?

@@sidoniealegre2469 they make good mallets, but I use mostly B-Mallets, by Bernard Yong (Singapore) and Paul Turner’s (BBC Philharmonic).

@@PaulPhilbert ok thanks