Roll rudiments · 7 of 40
Five Stroke Roll
Two doubles into an accent, alternating lead each time.
RRLLRLLRRL
Big letter = full stroke · filled = accent. Notation reads as on a practice-pad sheet: accents marked >, slashed small notes are grace notes, z on the stem is a buzz. R rings higher than L, so you can hear the hands.
80BPM
What it is
Two doubles into an accented single: R R L L R, then L L R R L. The lead alternates, so it is played in pairs. It is the most-used roll in drumming; every marching cadence and half the fills you know contain one.
How to practise it
- Count the accent as the beat and the doubles as the pickup into it.
- Keep the doubles open and even at slow tempos before you let them buzz.
- Start where every stroke is deliberate, around 60–80 BPM, and only speed up when it feels boring. When it is clean, take it to the tempo trainer and let trainer mode climb from where you are.
Take it further
- Open in the rudiment trainer →Step through all 40, shuffle, and (for members) random practice that deals you a new one every few loops.
- Log the sessionNote the BPM you reached, and next time starts where this one stopped.
- Why rudiments matter, and where to startThe five to learn first, and how to get them off the pad and onto the kit.
More roll rudiments
Singles, doubles and buzzes, and the numbered rolls built from them. Rolls are where hand control and evenness come from.
- Single Stroke RollThe foundation. Perfectly even, both hands identical.
- Single Stroke FourWritten as a triplet plus one — land the accent on the beat.
- Single Stroke SevenSix fast notes into an accent. Written as sextuplet plus one.
- Multiple Bounce RollThe buzz roll. Let each stroke crush into the head.
- Triple Stroke RollThree even strokes per hand — bounce control heaven.
- Double Stroke Open RollTwo matched strokes per hand. The second note is the hard one.
- Six Stroke RollAccents book-end the doubles. A groove staple.
- Seven Stroke RollThree doubles, one accent. Traditionally same lead every time.
- Nine Stroke RollFour doubles into the accent — a full beat of roll.
- Ten Stroke RollFour doubles and two accented singles.
- Eleven Stroke RollFive doubles into the accent.
- Thirteen Stroke RollSix doubles into the accent.
- Fifteen Stroke RollSeven doubles into the accent.
- Seventeen Stroke RollEight doubles into the accent. Marathon chops.