The 6 Stroke Roll

Most people consider the 6 stroke roll to be a rudiment that is played with an 8th note, followed by 4 16th notes, and then finished with another 8th note. This produces the rhythm 1 - & - a - 2 - e - &; which is played R LLRR L. (R = Right Hand; L = Left Hand) This rudiment itself is great to practice for help with double strokes as it involves doubles with each hand. 

Now that we have an understanding of the 6 stroke roll in 16th notes and 8th notes, I want to change the rhythm of the roll to introduce a new feel. This time I am going to count my strokes as 16th note triplets. This produces the rhythm 1 - Trip - let - & - Trip - let. This is also played RLLRRL, except that now every hit is evenly spaced out rhythmically. This roll is great for flashy applications as it is relatively easy to speed up and does not require a lot of energy to keep going. However although it is easy to be flashy with, you will also find tons of practical uses for it.

If you feel you have a good understanding of the 6 stroke roll in triplets, then it's time to move on to the 9 stroke roll! This roll is the same 6 strokes as the last, except now we are going to add a "RLL" to the end. This results in the pattern: RLLRRLRLL or RLLRRL-RLL. Notice that the ending 3 strokes and the beginning 3 strokes are the same. My advice is to accent the single strokes first while playing all the doubles as taps. 

Now what are you waiting for? Go practice! 

Modern Drum Lessons