How to Play a Single Stroke Roll With Drums

The single stroke roll is an essential drumming rudiment that all drummers must master before attempting more complicated rolls. Practicing the single stroke roll helps beginner drummers learn how to control and hold their drum sticks to build strength and speed while drumming.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pillow or blanket
• Thick drumsticks
• Metronome

1. Get a pair of thick drum sticks (2A or 2B) and a metronome. Find a pillow or blanket. Soft articles like these don't have bounce in them and help you condition your muscles more than you would if you were practicing with an actual drum set or practice pad.

2. Keep time with the metronome so that you can identify tempos and chart your progression against it.

3. Grip your drum sticks properly. Traditional and matched grips are popular grips when practicing this rudiment.

4. Alternate hitting the pillow with your left and right drum sticks so that the drum sticks don't both touch the pillow at the same time. Keep your beats uniform and use your wrists to control the sticking. Let the metronome guide your alternate sticking.

5. Play single stroke rolls on the drums with increased speed when you have satisfactorily mastered the movements.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider investing in a practice pad to help you master the single stroke roll after you have practiced with a pillow. Practice pads don't make as much noise as regular drum sets and are portable.
• Practice the single stroke roll and master it before going on to more complicated drumming rolls and techniques.
• Don't ever stop practicing the single stroke roll; it helps keep wrists and fingers conditioned.