A kettledrum is a large drum whose body is a round metal bowl — copper or brass — with a skin stretched over the top. You play it with soft sticks, not with your hands. Because the bowl is deep and round, the sound is rich and can boom through an orchestra. Though actually, players do not only bang it loud: they can tighten or loosen the skin to make the note higher or lower, so a kettledrum can play real pitches, unlike a simple party drum. In an orchestra you almost never see just one. A set of them is called timpani, an Italian word that musicians use all the time; English kettledrum is the same instrument, named because the metal body looks like a kettle. You will hear them in classical music, film music, and some bands. Kettledrum is a little old-fashioned next to timpani, but still clear. It has nothing to do with cooking.

定音鼓