General MIDI

Although I'm not a keyboard player, even I know that keyboards exist that allow one to play a variety of musical sounds, including fixed pitch percussion instruments like the xylophone and timpani, via a standard known as General MIDI. It turns out even the cheapest portable General MIDI keyboard has a decent collection of sample sounds. But I'm not a keyboardist, I'm a percussionist. I'd rather play timpani with mallets rather than with my uncoordinated fingers. Not only do I find it difficult to simulate a timpani roll with two fingers, but what a pain it would be to have to drop my sticks to tickle the ivories. I have enough trouble finding middle C on the keyboard!