Do they not make alloy mallet rods anymore? I always fought with wood timpani mallets with the big, soft tips. It really took some "umph" to play anything beyond forte. I guess the T1's are supposed to be a little firmer at the core?
No offense, but that sounds like something a drumset player would say!
The TI mallets are considered "general" for a reason. They work in a variety of situations and by all means isn't the ONLY mallet to have in your stickbag ... IF you are serious about playing Timpani. It depends on the piece of music and the era we are talking about. The mallet choices for a Mozart piece is going to be different than for a Beethoven piece simply because of writing style and the sound that was achieved in that era. There are firmer/harder mallets out there, just like there are less firm and softer mallets. If you can, you should have a selection to choose from. But you have to start some place, so a mallet considered to be "general" is going to be best for the first pair of mallets. Why? Because they won't be too firm when you really should be using a fluffy mallet, and they're not too soft when you really should be using a hard mallet.
You've got to start some place, so hitting in the center of the mallet selection, not the Timpani
, is always the best place to start. Unless of course you will never, ever need a soft mallet and only plan to play Heavy Metal Timpani.
