Nick Woud Symphonic Studies for Timpani

30 Etüden für Pauken, komponiert vom Solopauker des Philharmonischen Orchesters des Niederländischen Rundfunks. Jede Studie enthält Material zur Entwicklung von Technik und Flexibilität in Kombination mit Spieltradition und einer Vielfalt an musikalischen Stilen und Klangfarben. Einige Stücke eignen sich alleine oder als Etüdenfolge auch zur Aufführung. Alle Etüden enthalten Hinweise zur Interpretation und Instrumentenwahl.

After his first book Musical Studies for pedal timpani, published in 1983, it took a long time to find the time to write its successor "Symphonic Studies for Timpani". November 1999 has seen the release of this first volume, published as part of De Haske percussion series, which compasses a complete educational percussion program. A worldwide release has taken place in the course of 2000.

The studies in this book are based on symphonic repertoire or related to it and composed for training and guiding the serious timpani student. They contain a lot of basic practice material but most of them can also be played as a performance piece or a little suite of studies. As in the tradition of strong timpani methods like Knauer and Hochrainer, I have endeavored to write challenging and demanding studies that have a seemingly simple structure, like a timpani part in the repertoire, but need to be played with the utmost precision and delicacy as well as with the charisma that so often is part of the character given to timpani music. Every study contains rhythmic and musical material that is focused on the world of today's timpanist.
The development of technique, touché and flexibility, in combination with tradition of playing and awareness of musical style and color, have been integrated in every study. To help the timpanist achieve as much experience as possible without playing in an orchestra, I've tried to approach the musical atmosphere and reality as closely as possible. This book contains a six languages text [Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish] with every study, to touch on its difficulty or relationship to the repertoire. Already the studies from this book are used as requested audition material by several orchestra's and organizations.
Volume II seems to develop in a collection of more demanding studies and
Musical Studies for pedal Timpani presents a scope of pedaling excersizes and studies for 1, 2, 3 or 4 pedal timpani and touches upon all fast tuning problems in the repertoire. Short but very demanding studies, that require a serious organistation and virtuoso pedaling skills. Again, the musical aspect of our vocation has not been forgotten and forms an integral part of the book's studies.