2. The Single Stroke Four

The Single Stroke Four is a very basic rudiment. Like the single stroke roll, you alternate your sticking right, left, right, left. What you want to do is play four strokes at a time. Short bursts of four stroke hits on the drum are what make this rudiment. This would look like this:

Try to change your starting hand up! If you always start with your right hand, change to your left. This will stop you from becoming complacent with your right hand, and open up more doors towards creativity! Also, as you improve, start playing this pattern a lot faster, tighter, and closer together.

3. The Single Stroke Seven

The single stroke seven rudiment is a popular rudiment designed for quick shots and fast rolls. It is very similar to the single stroke four; however you are adding 3 more notes to create a 7 stroke pattern. The single stroke seven is meant to be played at faster tempos to create quick sound. You should practice this drum rudiment to work on your stick speed and control. Because there are only seven notes in this roll, you will not work your endurance that much; however it is good to work on your stick speed. You can play this with a triplet feel, or with just regular 8th or 16th notes. Try these few examples to get further acquainted with this rudiment.

 

 

4. The Double Stroke Roll

There are two ways to do the double stroke roll. There is the bounce back – where you hit the drum once and allow your stick to bounce back. Or you can use your wrists – where you physically hit the drum twice with each hand. Both are good techniques with plusses for each, and should be practiced equally. The trick to mastering the double stroke roll is to try and make both strokes and both hands, sound the same. Close your eyes and listen, do they sound the same?

To figure out the double stroke roll, start out slow and with always play with a metronome. Really try and get a feel for the stick. Simply hit your Practice Pad, and allow your drum stick to bounce a few times. This will get you used to the feel of your stick bouncing back. For using your wrists, again, start out slow. Simply double the single stroke roll, alternate each hand hitting the pad twice. This would look like this:

Practicing the double stroke roll with accents is a great way to develop independence. Try these few examples with Accents.

5. The Five Stroke Roll

The five stroke roll is a very powerful rudiment at fast speeds. Playing this at higher tempos requires a lot of stick control and speed. It consists of five strokes, two double strokes and one single stroke. Right Right Left Left Right. The five stroke roll is popular in the tango, and other Latin styles of music. You can incorporate this in fills, solos and beats very easily, as it is such a nice sounding rudiment. Make sure you practice this drum rudiment with a metronome so you do not create a mess. If you are not tight with your doubles, you may get 6 or more strokes out of a poor bounce on your stick, so be sure you are playing it properly with 5 strokes.