Learning all of the drum rudiments are in my opinion the single most important aspect of having exceptional stick technique. All of the worlds finest drummers practice drum rudiments daily and have been for many years. Drum rudiments are the backbone of drumming, they are used in a variety of ways to create drum music.

How to play a single stroke roll

The single stroke roll is the first rudiment that should be learned. It is by far the easiest of all the drum rudiments and could be learnt to an average standard in a matter of minutes. The stick technique for a single stroke roll is very straight forward: Right Left Right Left. You can also switch and start with the left hand: Left Right Left Right. The single stroke roll will only be truly mastered when you have the ability to perform starting with either hand.

The single stroke roll is probably the most commonly used drum fill in music purely because it's simple, powerful, and can be played in conjunction with almost any beat or style of music.

How to play a double stroke roll

A double stroke roll should be learned only when the single stroke roll has be mastered. The double stroke roll is the second rudiment that should be learned. The sticking for the double stroke roll is very simple: Right Right Left Left. And then switching and starting with the left hand Left Left Right Right. It's very important to learn how to play the rudiments starting with your left hand as it will help build up strength and coordination.

The double stoke roll can be applied to any drum on the kit, it helps when practising to try and mix them up a bit. For example play Right Right on the snare drum and Left Left on the floor tom. These simple exercises will drastically improve your technique and speed.

How to play a multiple bounce roll/buzz roll

The multiple bounce roll is what most people usually refer to as the "drum roll". It is commonly used in military drumming and drum lines, although it can be used very effectively with all styles of music. The technique is fairly simple but will take a lot of practice to be able to get a fluent motion. You hold the drumsticks fairly loosely in standard or traditional grip and use your wrist to push the head of the drumstick towards the skin, once impact has been made you let the sticks bounce on the drum head creating a buzz effect. The bounce should then be countered with the movement of the wrist to create another impact repeating the same process, this is repeated for as long as the piece of music requires.

Unlike other drum rudiments the multiple bounce roll/buzz roll doesn't have a set amount of bounces from either hand, as long as you achieve the "buzz" sound then it doesn't matter.

Learning these drum rudiments will serve as an excellent foundation to other stick techniques and will greatly improve your playing in the long run. Mastering every single drum rudiment might take you years but with patience and perseverance you will get there.

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