Hi, I recently bought an old Slingerland 23inch timpani so that I could practice using the pedal. The pedal rides up and down on a metal post which brings to my problem. At it's lowest pitch the pedal is 6 0r 7 inch's off the floor, when I start to depress it I feel like I have to hold on to the drum for balance.
Is there a fix or should I start practicing Tai Chi stances?
Pat ...
What you have is a tympanum (aka kettledrum) with a friction clutch (aka post & clutch system). It uses a clutch that moves up and down along a post. Disengaging the clutch frees it from the post, allowing the pedal to move without restraint ... so you can tune.
It's the nature of the beast. Not a fantastic design, but it was the first design to come after having to tune timpani with a chain system around the outer rim ... meaning you had to tune by hand ... making it even MORE difficult to tune while playing.
My recommendation is that you look at sitting on a high stool while playing, which allows you better balance when working the pedal. You don't have to do this, but if grabbing the drum while tuning is of no interest to you, that's going to be your only choice.