The early timpani was used in Eastern military music and was brought to Europe in the 15th century. It was first performed by the cavalry on horseback and eventually into the orchestra by the 17th century. Originally, pitch was changed by tightening or loosening the threaded bolts around the rim. This was changed in the late 18th century when a handle was fixed to the bolt to allow quicker changing of the pitch. Today, most timpani use a tuning mechanism that is operated by a foot pedal. The correct singular form of timpani is timpano although in America, timpani is typically used to describe one or multiple instruments. The abbreviation for timpani is Timp.