A Take on Double Stroke Rolls (the lift)

Rolls, specifically double stroke rolls catch the ear and draw you in. They can be described as fast, explosive, intense, relentless, and powerful among other things.  When a drumline throws down some clean double stroke rolls the audience perks up.  

When playing a double stroke roll there are many things to consider. How much wrist do I use? How much am I squeezing the stick? How do I get the sound quality better for the second note of the double? These questions can lead a drummer to madness if not kept in check.  One piece of information that is often not thought about is “at what point do I lift for the initiation of the stroke?”  While this is a more automatic type of response compared to the answers to the other questions above it still needs to be consciously controlled in the beginning to have good form.

When we’re learning to first play a double stroke it’s instinctive that this motion is very staccato.  Looking at the exercise Sanford (just the doubles portion) the rhythm is 1 e a 2 & a e & 4 & on the right hand and is then repeated on the left. Written out musically it looks like …

The silent 16^th note rest should be used as a lift or up-stroke. One way to visualize this would be to pretend that when the stick lifts it actually is hitting another surface at the top of the stroke for the silent 16^th notes.  This method allows you to rebound the stick and better attack the second set of 16^th notes.  This becomes harder to accomplish as the tempo increases but mastering this approach of a legato stroke at slower tempos helps to make your double stroke rolls more even.  Using this approach at faster tempos actually helps you play in time better because the lift has become a natural motion. 

Pull out the mirror and set the metronome at 100 (to start) and work on this silent third note approach. Make sure the motion is smooth and comfortable.  Death grips on the sticks are unnecessary and will lead to bad form and bad sound quality at higher tempos. Once you are comfortable with the motion at this tempo, bump up the tempo and continue getting rude!

~Mike

*note: with a traditional grip on your left hand, this may feel a little forced at slower tempos until your arm becomes more flexible. Try and keep it as smooth as possible.

Comments

[Ryan Wold]

Good stuff Mike! It was nice chatting with you at the Eagan regional.

[Mike]

Thanks Ryan! I appreciate that. Maybe we can hack at the next show we're both at? See ya soon,

Brownie