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Tightening a Kettle Drum to Change Its Note

4th grade nonfiction passage about timpani pitch: 212 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction timpani pitch 212 words

Tightening a Kettle Drum to Change Its Note

Most drums make a thump with no real note to it. A kettle drum is different. It can play a note high or low, and a skilled player can use it to follow a tune. The kettle drum is also called a timpani. The word describes a round copper bowl with a skin stretched tightly across the top.

How does a player change the note? The answer is tightness. A tight skin shakes quickly when it is hit, and quick shaking makes a high sound. A looser skin shakes more slowly, and slow shaking makes a lower sound. It is the same idea as a guitar string. Pull a string tighter, and its note goes up.

A timpani player has a handy tool for this. Beside the drum is a pedal. When the player moves her foot, a set of rods pulls the skin tighter or lets it go looser. In an orchestra, a player may have several drums of different sizes. A larger bowl gives a deeper sound, and a smaller bowl gives a higher one.

Before a concert, the player taps each drum and listens closely. Then she adjusts the pedal until the note is just right. Even during the music, she may lean over and listen to be sure.

Questions

  1. What is a kettle drum also called? in the text

  2. What is a timpani made of? in the text

  3. What kind of sound does a tight skin make? in the text

  4. What does the pedal do? in the text

  5. Why does a player tap and listen before a concert? think about it

  6. Which would give a deeper sound, a large bowl or a small one? in the text

Words to know

timpani
large drums with bowl shapes that can play different notes
copper
a reddish-brown metal
tightness
how firmly something is pulled
orchestra
a large group of musicians who play together
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 160 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1

Most drums go thump. A kettle drum can play a high note or a low note. A good player can use it to play a tune. A kettle drum is also called a timpani. It is a round copper bowl. A skin is stretched over the top.

How does the player change the note? She changes how tight the skin is. A tight skin shakes fast when hit. Fast shaking makes a high sound. A loose skin shakes slow. Slow shaking makes a low sound. A guitar string works the same way. Pull it tight and the note goes up.

A pedal sits by the drum. When the player moves her foot, rods make the skin tighter or looser. An orchestra may have drums of different sizes. A big bowl makes a deep sound. A small bowl makes a high sound.

Before a concert, the player taps each drum and listens. She adjusts the pedal until the note is right.

▲ This passage · 212 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Most drums make a thump with no real note to it. A kettle drum is different. It can play a note high or low, and a skilled player can use it to follow a tune. The kettle drum is also called a timpani. The word describes a round copper bowl with a skin stretched tightly across the top.

How does a player change the note? The answer is tightness. A tight skin shakes quickly when it is hit, and quick shaking makes a high sound. A looser skin shakes more slowly, and slow shaking makes a lower sound. It is the same idea as a guitar string. Pull a string tighter, and its note goes up.

A timpani player has a handy tool for this. Beside the drum is a pedal. When the player moves her foot, a set of rods pulls the skin tighter or lets it go looser. In an orchestra, a player may have several drums of different sizes. A larger bowl gives a deeper sound, and a smaller bowl gives a higher one.

Before a concert, the player taps each drum and listens closely. Then she adjusts the pedal until the note is just right. Even during the music, she may lean over and listen to be sure.

■ Harder · 221 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

Most drums produce a thump that has no true musical note to it. A kettle drum is quite different, since it can sound a high or a low note, and a skilled player can use several of them to follow a tune. The kettle drum is also known as a timpani, a name that describes a round copper bowl with a skin stretched tightly across its opening.

How does a player change the note? The answer lies in tightness. A taut skin vibrates rapidly when struck, and rapid vibration creates a high sound. A looser skin vibrates more slowly, and slow vibration creates a lower sound. The principle is the same as with a guitar string, because pulling a string tighter raises its note.

A timpani player has a convenient tool for this task. Beside the drum sits a pedal, and when the player shifts her foot, a set of rods pulls the skin tighter or lets it relax. In an orchestra, a musician may care for several drums of various sizes. A larger bowl yields a deeper sound, whereas a smaller bowl yields a higher one.

Before a concert, the player taps each drum and listens closely, then adjusts the pedal until the note is exactly right. Even during the music, she may lean over to listen and make certain.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put timpani, copper, tightness and orchestra on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Tightening a Kettle Drum to Change Its Note"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 212 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.6. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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