RUDIMENT #6 OF 40 · ROLL RUDIMENTS

Double Stroke Open Roll

The double stroke roll plays two strokes with each hand: right, right, left, left. Played slowly it is open, with every note clear; sped up it becomes the smooth "long roll" of rudimental drumming.

Sticking

R R L L

Capital letters are main notes. Small letters are grace notes played just before the main note.

How to practice it

  1. Play it at a slow tempo with the click, counting out loud.
  2. Listen for evenness: every double should have two equal notes.
  3. Raise the tempo 5 BPM at a time. When it gets messy, drop back 10.
  4. The second note of each pair is the weak one. Practice slowly and make the second stroke match the first.

Where you will use it

Double strokes are the building block of every stroke roll below, and of countless fills and snare rolls.

← Triple Stroke RollFive Stroke Roll →

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